


Letters From Me to You

by Burning_Candle



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Fantastic Racism, Fluff, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Multi, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route - "I want to stay with you.", Reader Is Not Chara, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-14
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2018-09-17 10:12:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 27,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9319175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burning_Candle/pseuds/Burning_Candle
Summary: With the return of the Monsters to the surface, you find yourself reminded of memories long past where you delivered hand-written letters to no one in particular, through a portal you'd not thought to tell anyone about up in the mountains.Inadvertently, you had already set yourself on a collision course to interact with the Monsters--something that hadn't quite been on your agenda.





	1. Trip to the Underground

 

> _April 8, 2010_
> 
> _Hello? Is anyone there? What is this? I’ve been throwing stones in here, but no one’s answered. Are you okay?_  

 

> _April 9, 2010_
> 
> _I’m sending it some extra paper and a pen so you can write back. If anyone is in here, that is._

 

> _April 10, 2010_
> 
> _I went looking around the forest to see if your letters had been blown away, but I couldn’t find anything. I’m starting to wonder if anyone is here._
> 
> _I’m going to wait until nightfall for you, but I’ll be back tomorrow, too._

 

 

You were always the ‘lucky’ one. Finding pennies on the ground, winning inane bets you made with your friends, and even being the millionth visitor on the occasional website. “Me and Lady Luck are partners in crime,” you’d claim to yourself every time you managed to catch your water bottle you almost dropped. It wasn’t really a skill, but more of a joke that you had kept running for most of your life. Even if you were the only one who knew about it.

 

But today you weren’t feeling so fortunate.

 

For years you had made this trek up to the peak of Mount Ebott, although it never got any easier for you. Since the path to the top had always been uncharted, it was almost like treading new ground with every hike. Though when you were younger, it was a little more enthusiastic and a little less of a chore than it was now. And ever since a few months ago, Mount Ebott had been sectioned off and people were forbidden from exploring. Getting past patrol wasn’t the easiest thing in the world, either. You were surprised at your success, though. You swore you’d almost been caught.

 

“Lord Almighty…maybe I should work out more.” You murmured to yourself as you came to a rest, leaning onto your knees and taking a few sharp breaths. Beads of sweat dripped down your face, mentally cursing the sky for being clear and the sun for being so hot. But being in the mountains made it a little cooler than in the city, where the asphalt reflected the heat right back into your face.

 

With a quick burst of energy, you finished your journey and found yourself exactly where you wanted to be. Your grip around your backpack tightened as you stared into a murky, shadowy abyss, something you hadn’t seen before. Seven years ago you had arrived at this very spot, but instead of a gateway enveloped in darkness, you had come across a strange pulsing wall. You used to stare at it for hours, so you could remember the way the black and white pulses kept a steady rhythm, almost like a perfect heartbeat. At the time, you had thought it was some kind of abandoned portal that led to an alien species. And over the years as you wrote, you had figured out that the portal was one-way only. It didn’t take a scientist to get some rope and a rock to see if you could pull it back through (which you couldn’t, after many attempts and wasted rope). But months ago had finally revealed the truth. Monsters inhabited the other side, and it wasn’t a portal. It was a barrier.

 

Deciding to catch your breath before continuing with your mission, you took a seat on a familiar boulder and scanned where you were sitting. The ground directly beneath you was compacted dirt, and what you could only assume was hardened clay, but you weren’t a geologist. You had made your way up a plateau (via a dirt ramp that you had painstakingly made a long time ago), though it wasn’t near the peak of the mountain. Your eyes made contact with the second mountain far across the forest, boasting a grander width. You had never been to Mount Willard, but was considering making that your next vacation spot. Your eyes darted to the right as you spotted Ebott City, skyscrapers unnaturally jutting out in the landscape.

 

“The view hasn’t changed much, huh?”

 

You had stopped writing letters a year ago, a little bit after you moved to the city from your small home that situated itself near the mountain. It was too time consuming and costly to rent a car, drive here, pay for parking, and make the trek every single time for a letter that you didn’t even know anyone would read. It was a nice thought when you were younger, but you had promised yourself that you would stop being a dreamer and start being more responsible with your life. Until, of course, you found out exactly where the monsters had come from. And nostalgia had hit you right in the heart. Maybe someone _had_ been reading those letters. Or even multiple people! Did they hate them? Love them? Those letters were basically a journal for that time period of your life. They chronicled almost every important event that had happened during those six years. And even though you weren’t much of a writer, everything had been written in meticulous detail. After all, you thought they were aliens.

 

Reaching into your backpack, you pulled out a small envelope that you had carefully written a couple of days ago. The envelope itself was milky white and unlike the other letters you had written before, this envelope had a blank exterior. (Not that you had an envelope for every letter, especially when you first started.) You had a hard time deciding what you wanted to put into the letter without trying to put everything that had happened in the past year. Not to mention you still weren’t sure if anyone was going to read it.

 

Feeling ready to get the deed done, you stood and turned towards the looming opening. You hesitated as your eyes searched for something. The shadows seemed to dance and stare right back at you as you stood defensively. For a moment, your legs wouldn’t follow your commands. They stayed rooted to the ground, and you had to muster up all of the strength you had left. With a deep breath, you finally walked into the open tunnel. It was a strange feeling being able to walk through here, instead of slipping your letter through the barrier as you had once done. Your footsteps began to reverberate around you, and you tried not to clutch your letter too tightly, for fear it might tear. It was sloped downward a bit, so you made sure not to lose your footing on any loose rocks. The light began to fade and you weren’t sure if you wanted to continue walking. Especially if there might be patrolmen inside this place.

 

“Probably should have brought a flashlight,” you whispered.

 

But as you continued to walk, you could faintly see a distant light illuminating a room beyond a columned doorway. You couldn’t see or hear anyone, so you felt a bit more confident and your steps quickened. You could feel the ground beneath you begin to even out as you did so, putting a slight spring in your stride.  

 

The room you entered, while well-lit, didn’t contain anything but a patch of grass on the floor, growing underneath what you could only assume was sunlight. You were sure that if your letters went anywhere, they would have landed here. And since there wasn’t a pile of letters, you were sure someone must have at least picked them up. But reading them was a separate story.

 

You continued to walk. Surely placing the letter there would be the most obvious place, but you weren’t sure that any old person or monster could simply pick it up. Of course that applied to your old letters, too, but this one was special.

 

As you walked past another illuminated spot (with no grass), your legs locked into place as you stepped through a rectangular doorway. Sprawled out in this room was a wondrous garden filled to the brim with some vivid golden flowers. The scent of them wafted through the air, begging you to sit and smell them for hours. You had seen these types of flowers before on the mountain, but had never seen so many flourishing in one place. You noticed that the center of the flowers were still saplings, and wondered if something had once sat in the middle of the room before.

 

Wait, why could you hear birds? And why was there sunlight in here? You carefully stepped over the flowers and made your way to the windows that adorned the side of the room. Eagerly you cleaned off the dust and feasted your eyes on an expansive stone city. You could see streets lined up, littered with some trash. You could only imagine what it must have been like if it was occupied with monsters, going out and about their day. They were more like humans than you had previously thought. While you still weren’t sure where the sunlight was coming from, it seemed to cover the entire city.

 

You lingered a bit longer at the window than you would have liked, considering monsters could still be living here. You pulled your eyes away and looked back down at the flowers. You decided that you might pick one on your way out. Though it felt like a shame to tear a flower away from such a beautiful family like this.

 

Eventually you decided that this place too was not suitable for your letter. It was beautiful, but you felt it might get lost underneath the petals. While you didn’t want to get too hopeful, you did want your letter to be found.

 

Once again being careful not to trample over the flowers, you found your way out of the room and came upon a forked hallway. You took a gamble and decided to take a right, since it seemed to be a bit shorter.

 

You could see the bright orange sunlight nearly bursting from the doorway that you were walking towards. It was a beautiful, vibrant color that took command of any surface it covered. As you walked into what looked to be the longest hallway you had ever seen, you almost held your breath. The room almost seemed strikingly golden, with columns lining either side and the same type of windows as before, but with a golden tint, helping brighten the room. The windows in here made it seem as if it were perpetually sunset outside. The air was still, and the room was soundless as long as you didn’t move.

 

But even though the room was stunning, every step you took down the hallway echoed back at you with a sad tune. You wouldn’t call yourself a superstitious person but the room seemed to hold a lot of memories. You could certainly identify with that feeling. It made the room’s beauty bittersweet. But then again you might have been projecting onto the room, and creating a story for it that never existed to begin with.

 

For a moment, you watched dust particles light up from the sun’s rays, drifting quietly through the hallway. You must have disturbed its slumber.

 

Now you were sure that you wanted to place your letter here, underneath this light, atop the bright orange tile, underneath these formidable columns. You could just feel it. This was where your letter was meant to be.

 

“I’m not sure if you’re ever going to be read, but I hope the person you were meant for finds you. Even if it is no one.”

 

After finding a suitable spot on one of the windowsills, you gently set the letter down, trying to smooth the crinkles you had caused in your awe of this place. Though most of the monsters had moved away from the “Underground,” as they called it, you hoped that maybe someone would desire closure and come back. If they didn’t, you weren’t discouraged. After all, you had been thinking all this time that your letters had been piling up in a stuffy cave collecting mold. What was the difference if no one came now?

 

You lingered in the hallway, going so far as to take a seat in the sunlight and enjoy the silence. While you tried to keep your mind clear and stay relaxed, your mind danced around, mostly contemplating what the rest of the Underground looked like. Was it all this beautiful? But you had no idea how long exploring the entire place would take, and if people were still here. This was as far as you were going to go. When you felt that you had spent enough time here, you made your way back to the room with the flowers, and debated on taking one.

 

Since you had a container that you used for lunch earlier, you figured it would be okay to dig up one, making sure to get the roots and enough dirt. The ones closer to the center were more bunched up together so you chose one that was separated from the group, but blooming just as beautifully. You weren’t really a gardener, so you had to rely on knowledge that you weren’t sure if it was true or not.

 

When you finished, you resolved that it was time to head back to the surface. Even you, the lucky one, was pushing your luck.

 

You contemplated staying to watch until sundown like you used to, those years ago. You had seen interviews on television about how the sunset was the first thing the monsters had seen upon exiting the underground. You wanted to share in their wonder, imagine what it must have been like to see the day after all that time. However, the thought of walking through the forest in darkness and getting caught by the patrol deters you, and you ultimately decide to made your way back home. For now, you thought, it was best to simply forget about it and move on.

 

Clutching your newly filled plastic container in hand, you turned and gave the Underground’s opening one last look. For a brief moment, you could see your younger self sitting next to the “portal”, eagerly writing another letter in their lap, smiling and laughing at their own writing. You smiled, too.

 

> _July 10, 2017_
> 
> _You might not remember me, or maybe you’ve never seen my letters before. That’s okay. I used to write letters to no one in particular and send them down here. Maybe they were read. Maybe they were ruined. I don’t think I’ll ever know._
> 
> _Now that I know someone might have been on the other side, I came back to write one last letter to you. So much has happened this year, including your journey to the surface, which surprised everyone. Especially me. But I won’t waste any more of your time with stories of my life. This letter isn’t meant for that. This letter, unlike the others, has a purpose._
> 
> _I want to apologize. I had it so set in my mind that no one was on the other side that…I didn’t tell anyone. It was my little secret, my little corner of the world. But maybe if I had told someone, you would have been released sooner. Someone could have done something. But all I did was write letters. Letters that I didn’t think ever had a chance to be seen. I’m so sorry. You were suffering, and I didn’t help you. Apologies might not be enough, and I understand that. You do not have to forgive me._
> 
> _I wish I could tell you to come find me. But I’m scared. Of you, of my feelings, and of what would happen. Or, what might not happen. What if no one comes? Wouldn’t it just be better for me to hope that you read this letter, rather than wait for you to show up? And even if I was that brave, I cannot bring myself to connect. I am a coward. If I was any less of a coward, I would have stepped through the barrier years ago._
> 
> _I’m glad I was able to write this last letter. Thank you, whoever you are, for reading it. I wish you good health and happiness, even in these trying times. Even after all that time you spent here. I never thought I would ever say a formal goodbye like this, but here I am._
> 
> _Thank you._
> 
> _Goodbye._
> 
> _(y/n)_


	2. Not So Normal Routine

 

> _March 20, 2011_
> 
> _It’s me again! I have some great news. I got the job I told you about last time! I was so nervous for my interview, but my new boss was very nice. I know I said that working at a fast food restaurant isn’t the best, but I’m still excited! It’s like my stepping stone into the adult world._
> 
> _I know what you’re thinking, though. And yeah, of course I’ll still come up here every weekend. In fact, I think I’m going to buy you a present with my first paycheck. It’ll be like celebrating one year of first contact! Well, first contact from one side. But what do you like? It’s at moments like these I wish you could write back, y’know. Maybe I could get you one of those disposable cell phones? They’re so expensive, though. Ah well. I’ll definitely think of something._
> 
> _Well, I better get going. I came here as soon as I heard the news, and it was already pretty late then. I just had to tell you! See you next time!_
> 
> _(y/n)_
> 
> _P.S. – Hope you had a good day, too!_

 

 

“I’m home!” You called out to no one. You lived alone in your apartment—no pets, no roommates, no family. It wasn’t unpleasant. Not that you were anti-social, but you appreciated your time to yourself, and your apartment was designated as your special place for silence. The neighborhood was pretty good in terms of property value, and you had been spared of many monsters moving into your part of town. You didn’t have anything against them personally and still wanted them to have their rights, but you knew that wherever monsters went? Trouble happened, whether or not they were the culprit. It was best just to stay out of the way sometimes.

 

Going to Mount Ebott had helped change your mind a bit, as you couldn’t imagine them getting in the same kind of trouble in that place. But now that you were back home, reality begun to sink in again. Things might have been different for them Underground, but now they were here. In Ebott City.

 

With a deep sigh, you set the container holding your golden flower on the only available place on your kitchen counter. Even though you really only watched TV and played on your laptop in your free time, things always seemed to get unnecessarily messy around your apartment. You figured it was because you put off cleaning until things started to look…like this.

 

After putting your backpack in an open chair and stretching, you decided to get some cleaning done and take a shower.

 

Your apartment was on the thirty fifth floor of a forty story high-rise apartment building, one of the largest in the city. You enjoyed your apartment, which you’ve lived in since you moved to the city, but you did have some complaints about the price. It ate away at your paycheck faster than a golden retriever ate spaghetti. Not to mention, the place was pretty small. Even for a one-bedroom, the place had a “studio apartment” feel to it. The kitchen and living room were connected with no wall separating them, though the kitchen was a bit higher, so there were two steps separating them (which you have tripped over countless times). Your bedroom door was nestled on the backside of the living room, and it housed the only bathroom in the apartment. For decoration, you mostly kept all of your favorite knick-knacks and memories around the apartment instead of “proper” decorations. Since you rarely had people over, you didn’t mind having your private life out in the open.

 

As you finished and began to walk towards your bedroom for your shower, you stopped at one of your favorite parts of your apartment, and one of the biggest reasons why you didn’t leave due to the price. The balcony. You were on the side of the apartment building that boasted the best view of the sunset, especially since you were so high up. You could practically see over the shorter buildings around you. If you were honest with yourself, it reminded you of watching the sunset back then, perched atop the mountain after you had finished writing your letters.

 

But you had dwelled enough upon that. It was beginning to be late, and you needed to get ready for work tomorrow. You didn’t think your boss would appreciate it if you spent your time at work daydreaming about your past.

 

* * *

 

You couldn’t really say you were a morning person nor a night person. Sure, getting up in the morning was hard, but you weren’t grumpy about it normally. Yet today, your body was a bit sore. Mountaineering wasn’t on your daily agenda, so your body was recovering from yesterday’s events. Forcing yourself to get out of bed with pure willpower, you made your way to the kitchen to make your favorite morning drink and turn on the television. Though you were a little untrustworthy of some news outlets, you did like to keep up on basic events around your city.

 

After sitting through a commercial and finding yourself something to eat, you plopped yourself onto the couch and watched as your local weatherman discussed more hot days ahead. You almost audibly groaned. It had been so hot all summer; all you wanted to do was sit in a refrigerator for the next two weeks.

 

“Thanks, Joe. And now, we return to reports from officers at Mount Ebott who were patrolling last night. They claim they saw someone making their way up the mountain towards the Underground, but quickly lost them. Eye witness Officer Kevin, who do you think they were and what was their purpose?” You nearly spit out your drink, choking it down. What was this, a sitcom? Why was this on the news as soon as you turned it on? And how was this even news-worthy?

 

“Yeah, well, it was fer sure a human. I’m positive that they was lookin’ to go ransack the Underground, but we chased ‘em off!” This time, you couldn’t stop yourself from crying out in protest, clutching your cup tightly. You felt that your luck had saved you from getting caught. But you were so sure that none of them had seen you!

 

You had to give credit where credit was due—the citizens of Ebott City were more accepting of the Monsters than you’d thought they’d be. Sure, there were some exceptions, but there was always a rowdy minority no matter what happened. The problem was that the Monsters were pretty concentrated in your city and in the state. The rest of the country, on the other hand, might have been a little against the whole idea to begin with, since they didn’t interact with them often. The whole issue was complicated, really. At least too complicated to think about while you still had to get ready for work.

 

“Mornings are no time to be thinking of politics,” you laughed to yourself. Finishing your morning routine, you made sure to make a new stop at your new flower, giving it some water and placing it by the balcony window for some sunlight.

 

* * *

 

“You want me to what?” You hadn’t even taken two steps towards your office when your boss intercepted you, as if she was waiting for her prey to enter through the double doors. Gina was a tall imposing woman, and she was no exception to the long list of people who intimidated you. You always felt your interactions were a bit awkward and the two of you never really got along, even though you’d been to plenty of her “work parties.” But she hadn’t fired you yet, so you must have been doing something right.

 

“Did I stutter? I have to leave later today and I want you to get two new hires. I’ve already sorted through them, but I need you to interview them.” Even though she was still talking, Gina kept a close eye on her tablet, which displayed all sorts of information that you couldn’t make out from your position.

 

You weren’t too worried about the whole ordeal, since it didn’t really take much for someone to work at Owen’s, a clothing store. But you didn’t really manage any employees. You were more of a “behind the scenes” employee.

 

“Uh, okay. What stations am I filling in?” You asked, glancing around the store. As Gina’s second-in-command and her merchandise manager, it wasn’t as if you could say no. At least it wasn’t very busy today, but that was to be expected for a Tuesday morning.

 

“I need one for back stock and one for the front. They’ll be coming in starting around noon. Sorry for the late notice.” You didn’t think she sounded very sincere about her apology, but that was Gina for you. Plus, maybe she had some emergency she needed to attend to. As she begun to walk, you quickly followed, already making a mental list of what kind of qualifications you’d think would make the best workers.

 

Suddenly, Gina came to an abrupt stop in the back of the store and you did all you could not to run into her. She turned sharply and handed you some keys. “I left instructions up at the cash register to make sure they send them to my office, so after you finish your inventory I’d suggest doing the rest of your paperwork in there. Their resumes will be filed in order of their arrival, as long as they show up on time.” She kept her tablet close to her, something that she didn’t let any other manager touch. It was basically her lifeline, keeping track of the store’s labor and emails. Briefly you reminded yourself that Gina was a workaholic, which was why she could be so…uptight about things.

 

“(Y/n), one last thing.” She glanced around to make sure no one was listening. “Look, you know how it is with the law. I don’t want my company getting sued over something like workforce variation.” Uh oh. You knew exactly what she was getting at.

 

Giving a weak smile, you tugged at your collar and answered, “So, um…you want me to hire mon-“

 

“Don’t say it out loud!” She scolded you, and sighed deeply. “But yes. You’ll notice that trend with the interviewees. Of course I had to throw in a human in there, so try to let them off easy.”

 

You weren’t sure if you were entirely comfortable with this, but, she was the boss.

 

* * *

 

“So, uh,” you glanced down at the resume one final time, trying to make sure you still were saying his name right. The sheet was heavily stained, though. “Mr. Jerry.” As you looked up, it seemed that the strangely-shaped monsters could not be farther away from this interview. He had been texting this entire time. Not to mention he smelled like cheese puffs and cold fried chicken, for some reason you could probably guess at. And your face was beginning to hurt from not trying to grimace this entire time. Since he wasn’t the first interviewee, you knew his demeanor couldn’t possibly be because he was a monster. You were just glad the interview was coming to a close. Had Gina really lined this guy up with the rest of them? “It was…pleasant for you to take interest. You’ll receive a call within the next week.”

 

Before he answered, he sniffled so deeply that you could hear the mucus from his nose escape into the back of his throat. It made you want to retch, but you kept a straight face. “Niiiice.” He responded and looked up from his phone, but didn’t make a move to exit the room. You didn’t really want to go and shake hands. They looked…dirty. But you conceded and stood, reaching your hand out.

 

“Thanks again.”

 

After he left, you plunked back down into the office chair, heaving a big sigh, relaxing your face muscles, and rinsing your hands with sanitizer. You only had one more interview to go, and you could get out of here. So far other than Jerry, you had interviewed a large bipedal blue-colored bear monster named Green (you decided not to comment on the irony), a teenage girl named Stacy, and a monster named Nilm who you could only describe as a mixture between a platypus and a plastic cup.

 

Your eyes shifted over to the clock on the computer and you noted you only had a few more minutes until the last person was supposed to show up. You opened up their file, flipping through their resume. You couldn’t help but raise your eyebrows at it. Ignoring the strange layout and some of the tacky choices of font, it was probably one of the strongest in terms of work experience. None of the others really had any. Then again, you hadn’t thought to ask about any work experience from the Underground. Surely they had jobs down there?

 

A small knock on your door faded your thoughts and you looked up, placing the file on the desk. “Come in!”

 

In walks in a rather nervous-looking, tall skeleton. You didn’t quite understand how you got that from someone who had no skin, but his eyes seemed to be animated as well as the fact you could see…sweat? What struck you as odd about his outfit was the fact that he was wearing gloves, which were a bright red color. And that the gloves matched his bowtie, which you thought looked old-fashioned, but nice. Though seeing a skeleton walk into the office was rather off-putting.

 

Back up onto your feet, you jutted out a hand for him to shake, and gave him a small smile. “Good morning, Mr. Papyrus. Glad you could make it.” At least he didn’t smell like Jerry did.

 

“THE PLEASURE IS ALL MINE!”

 

Wow. He was very loud. Not unbearably loud, but more than the average person. Maybe he was just nervous about his interview. The two of you took your seats and you gave a quick look over the rest of resume.

 

“So, Mr. Papyrus, let’s get right into it. I’d like to know more about your work history here. It says you’ve been a line cook at a restaurant. How do you think you can transfer those skills over to our company?”

 

“EXCELLENT QUESTION!” He took a moment to take in a breath, and you held in your natural response to thank him. “AS MY FORMER BOSS WOULD SAY, I AM VERY ‘SPUNKY’ AND I BRING A LOT OF NATURAL PASSION TO MY WORK! ALSO I SEEM TO HAVE MADE A LOT OF FRIENDS AT MY OLD JOB!” You gave him a strained smile, coming to the realization that perhaps this was his natural speaking volume. Which wasn’t normally bad, you guessed, but you were in a small room with him right now.

 

“Those are excellent qualities. Can you tell me why you decided to apply for a new position somewhere else?” While you knew fully well that this was a pretty loaded question, it truly didn’t matter _what_ their answer was (you were a retail store after all), but _how_ they answered it.

 

Papyrus seemed to get a little nervous at the thought, and his eye sockets seemed to break eye contact. But he didn’t dwell on his anxiety for long, and seemed to perk right back up, as if he had remembered something. “I DECIDED THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAD FAR EXCEEDED MY POTENTIAL THERE!” The two of you looked at each other in silence for a moment. Did he just call himself the great Papyrus? More importantly, you wondered if he had gotten the idea for his answer from online. That seemed like a generic answer someone might use. Well, it was better than everyone else’s so far.

 

“Good confidence,” you complimented, hoping to calm down his nerves a bit. Maybe it would quiet him down. “Let’s move on to the next question…”

 

* * *

 

“UNDYNE! I GOT THE JOB! NOT THAT I WAS WORRIED, OF COURSE.” Papyrus nearly shouted into his phone, a big grin on his face. He had already made it home, but had decided to call Undyne while still in his car, unable to wait until he got into his house.

 

“That’s GREAT!! I’m proud of you, punk!” Undyne yelled back with just as much enthusiasm. “Just try not to set anything on fire this time, okay?” She laughed, but was seriously trying to give him some advice.

 

“DO NOT WORRY! I DON’T BELIEVE THAT THEY HAVE ANYTHING TO ACCIDENTALLY BURN!” Papyrus answered with gusto. While he hadn’t told you at the interview, it was actually the reason why he had been “let go” at his old job. While he was excited to work somewhere new, in the meantime he was going to continue to work on his cooking ability so he could one day return to the culinary career.

 

“Good to know! We should hang out soon to celebrate!”

 

* * *

 

You leaned against the elevator wall, arms crossed and silently watching the digital numbers crawling upwards to your floor. You’d already called Gina and told her about the interviews and who you’d decided on. Now it was only a few more minutes until you got home, just in time to catch one of your favorite TV shows.

 

As you walked towards your apartment and pulled out your keys, your eye caught some of the door numbers. Of course plenty of people lived on your floor, but you weren’t well acquainted with them. You thought it was funny how people could live so close together yet avoided interaction with them like the plague.

 

Almost immediately after unlocking and opening your door, you nearly tripped over a lamp. Puzzled, you picked it up and moved to put it back on your end table when suddenly, your stomach dropped. You could feel a lump growing in your throat as your eyes scanned the entire living room, and what you could see of the kitchen.

 

Your apartment had been broken into.

 

 

> _April 3, 2011_
> 
> _My paycheck got stolen…by the government! Do you know about taxes!? I sure didn’t. Well, okay, I did know, but…they take so much money, and I’m not even sure where it goes. My coworkers said some of it goes to things like roads, but my boss complained a lot of it went to pay government workers. I hope you guys don’t have to pay taxes on that side of the portal._
> 
> _But I’m keeping true to my word! I brought you gifts! My basic train of thought was to let you experience human stuff! Assuming you don’t have any. Assuming someone is actually there. Ah, well, I guess I shouldn’t say that. You know what they say when you assume…it makes an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me’! Get it? It’s a pun!_
> 
> _So I got you some gum. It’s this thing you chew in your mouth…for some reason. I don’t actually know why. But don’t swallow it! I heard it’s bad for your stomach._
> 
> _I also went to the radio shack (a store!) and I found a used iPod shuffle for only 30 dollars! It’s a pretty old model, but it’s better than the one I already had, so I’m giving you my old one with all my favorite songs on it! (Plus a pair of earphones…hopefully you have ears?)_
> 
> _And finally, (drumroll please) I got you…a picture of me! Yep, that’s what I look like. Don’t judge me too much, that was a school picture. They always come out weird looking._
> 
> _I hope you like everything! I tried to think of the weirdest human stuff I could. (And yeah, I totally made that list.) It’s like a surprise anniversary, portal-friend! Well, not a surprise. I did tell you before, after all._
> 
> _I better get going, though. I got work tomorrow. I’ll catch you again soon! (If someone throws you, that is.) (That was another pun.)_
> 
> _(y/n)_


	3. A New...Friend?

 

 

> _April 12, 2011_
> 
> _Dear portal-friend, summer is fast approaching! I still have to work and all but now I get to visit you even more! Until then, ugh. Finals. I don’t know if you have to take tests or anything over there, but it seriously sucks! Hours upon hours of staring at pages in subjects you don’t even like._
> 
> _Oh! And before I forget, my parents have decided to rent out that free room in our house! I don’t see the guy too often because he seems pretty reclusive. No judgment though, I’m pretty reclusive too...I think?! Well, except to you. I tell you everything! At least ALMOST everything._
> 
> _Anyway, I’m gonna try to pry into his life! I’m a little snoopy, okay? I mean of course I’ll stop if he gets mad or something but there’s no harm in trying! You can be the Watson to my Sherlock Holmes! Well, at least only in spirit. I wonder what you look like. No fair! You know what I look like!_
> 
>         _Some day though! I’m gonna keep my hopes up, even though my parents think I still act pretty childish. Yeah yeah, I get it! I’m almost an adult, I should really start taking things more seriously. But who else do I have to talk to but you? You’re like, my only friend. My best friend!_
> 
> _I better get going if I want to get home in time to do some snoopin! See ya later!_
> 
> _(y/n)_

 

Well, that was embarrassing.

Even before the police had showed up, you had already deduced that nothing had been stolen. Important things, valuable things, little things, nothing. It seemed like someone had shown up and simply decided to ransack the place, which was strange. After all, living on such a high up floor was a natural deterrent to crime.

And of course, the lack of camera footage during the supposed “scene of the crime”. Every hallway had some cameras, and no one had exited or entered your apartment since you had gone to work.

But of course, that didn’t stop the police from ridiculing you, even in their passive aggressive ways.

“I’m sorry (Y/n), there doesn’t really seem to be a case here.” The chief police officer at the scene informed you, though you had expected that to be the outcome anyway.

After they had left, you resigned yourself to start cleaning up the apartment that had been left in disarray, beginning with turning off the TV, which had been left on. You couldn’t shake the unnerving feeling of someone being in your apartment off, but you tried to ignore that thought while you basked in some long-lost memories from things knocked off the shelves.

Pictures from high school and college. Awards you had won when you were younger. Your degree. Everything had seemed so far off, and it sort of made you feel unaccomplished now. Sure, you had a decent paying job and all that, but it always seemed like something was…missing? Like maybe you could try to make more friends, or even try to immerse yourself in something romantic. Ever since you found yourself living in the city, there wasn’t much that you did other than work and come home.

It was a lonely life, but you were used to it.

Eventually, you made your way to the kitchen and began to pick up, though if you were honest, things didn’t look _too_ different than what you had left it as.

Your hands gently cupped the most recent addition to your home, your flower you had acquired from the Underground. It seemed it had fallen off the counter, but you noticed that you didn’t see any dirt anywhere, which seemed…strange. How had it fallen without making a mess?

Regardless, you reached for its untouched petals, murmuring quietly about how you were glad it was safe-

_Chomp!_

“What the f-!” Your hand recoiled, the other gripping it tightly as you tried to control the pain. Did…did that plant just bite you??

“Watch where you’re grabbing!” It hissed, the bulbous center of the plant suddenly forming a face, and not a very happy one at that!

“You bit me!” You screeched, though your body didn’t move. It seemed your shock had overcome the pain of the bite. The two of you stared at each other for a moment, and you noticed that the two small leaves that protruded from the stem of the flowery moved on their own accord, like it was meant to serve as the flower’s arms.

“You deserved it!” The flower hissed at you. Suddenly there was a feeling of regret for taking a flower from the Underground, a place you had no knowledge of. What had you gotten yourself into?

 

* * *

 

Sleep. Such a long sleep. How long had it been since he had awoken? He didn’t particularly care. It was enough for him to relive his memories down here, alone, and be content with his choices. After what he had done? It was an easy choice to choose not to be awoken again. Not as the evil, vengeful spirit he was. No, he preferred to stay what he remembered his true self was. It was better for everyone that way.

Until he felt movement. _Real_ movement. A gentle swaying.

It was hard for him to wake up at first. He couldn’t see, only hear voices from far away. When he had started to gain consciousness, his eyes couldn’t adjust to the bright sunlight that attacked him, and he kept his eyes closed. All he could hear was the rhythmic sound of someone walking, a steady heartbeat and breathing.

 _Thump, thump._ Sigh. _Thump, thump, thump._ Sigh.

He was so relaxed by the sound that he couldn’t help but fall back asleep, into a warm caress that was foreign yet all too familiar to him. He dreamed of his parents, and Chara. Back when things were happier, and thinking it would stay that way forever.

When he awoke again, it was because something cold and wet had started to soak into him, and he realized that he was no longer apart of the idyllic dream world that he resigned himself to. Dripping wet with water, he awoke to some strange room, filled with items he recognized, organized in a strange way.

A fridge, a stove. A couch. A TV.

But things he didn’t recognize filled his view.

Pictures of humans, trophies of things he couldn’t recognize, a window into a world that he’d never seen before.

It didn’t take him long to push himself to explore. It was much harder without the ground being made of dirt, but he pressed himself to walk without the use of the…pot? He seethed at the thought someone had put him in some cheaply made plastic container.

It took a lot of strength, but he slid himself out of the container and adjusted himself to the use of his roots, and jumped off the counter, hitting the ground with a hard thud.

He made his way around the living space, knocking things over without a care, bringing things down to his level with extended roots so he could both examine them and toss them away when he was bored.

After a few hours of introspection, it didn’t take long to figure out the owner of the apartment. There weren’t many pictures, but they were the only constant. A family photo of similar looking humans. A group photo of different humans that you appeared in.

Had you taken him as a trophy? Had Frisk told people about him? He found himself throwing things around as he thought angrily, upset at the prospect that he was suddenly some sort of pet. But after his blinding rage, he calmed down and thought about his predicament rationally. There was no way Frisk could have done this, because if he had, he was sure either Frisk or someone who was more...important would have gotten a hold of him. Was it just dumb luck, then, that some random _human_ had picked him up and taken him away from the place where others would be safe from him? Where they wouldn’t have to bear the brunt of his lack of compassion?

Wait, he could just leave, right? He made his way over to the window, pushing open the sliding door with all his strength and climbing up onto the railing, his roots wrapping around the metal to make sure the wind didn’t blow him over.

When his gaze fell on the horizon, two mountains far into the distance, he couldn’t help but hold his breath. He stayed that way as he surveyed far beyond the city into the wilderness, down to looking how far up they were and the people- humans and monsters alike- roaming the streets together, bumbling their way to whatever their destination was.

He realized how far from home he was. There was no way he could travel all that way by himself. At least, not without the risk of being spotted by the two or three people who actually remembered him.

For now, he thought, he’d just have to wait until you returned. In the meantime, he still had a few rooms to tear through...

 

* * *

 

You flexed your hand onto the steering wheel, the bandages you wrapped around it giving partly, but moving with the flow of your hand. You really just hoped it wouldn’t get infected, but then again, were monster and human bacteria transferable?

Outside of your ruminating, the car’s rumbling through the barely-lit streets were the only noises that you and this monster flower shared.

After an incoherent shouting match between the two of you, and an unpleasant visit from your neighbor, you both had finally had a reasonable talk and came to the conclusion that the best course of action was to take him back to where you had found him. Of course, you didn’t want to spend money on _another_ rental car and make _another_ trip to Mount Ebott _this_ late at night, but it was sort of your fault that he was in this situation anyway.

In any case, you simply couldn’t stand this awkward silence between the two of you. Outside of your interviews earlier that day, he was literally one of the first monsters you’d interacted with, and you’d practically kidnapped him from his other flower family.

“Look, I’m sorry Mr. Flower. I really didn’t know.” You glanced in his direction momentarily, before resting your eyes on the road again.

You could hear the soft shuffling of his petals, but that was the extent of it. Before you could sigh, he spoke up, much to your surprise.

“It’s Flowey.”

“What?”

“My name. My name is Flowey.”

You blinked, and then smiled. You hadn’t even thought to ask him his name before, even though it was a simple gesture. You almost felt bad that you hadn’t already asked. But Flowey? That wasn’t too different than what you’d been calling him anyway.

“Alright Flowey. My name is-”

“(Y/n)! I already know.”

It was strange to hear your name from him, but you supposed since he was the one who ransacked your apartment, he would have gone through your things and figured out your name.

“Bit creepy, huh?” You commented, your smile showing through your voice.

“W-well maybe you shouldn’t leave stuff like that laying around your house!!” His response was defensive, but not particularly harsh like it was before.

You laughed a little, before the car settling down into its silence again, minus the awkward tension from before.

 

* * *

 

“Oh shit.” You murmured, and with your hand, nudged Flowey awake, having fallen asleep in the last hour or so.

In the distance, perhaps no farther than a mile or two, you could see police lights with barriers. This was the only road up to Mount Ebott. Was this a police checkpoint? Had your antics from before caused them to up in security?

“Look, they might not let me through by myself, but if you tell them you’re a monster they might let us thro-” You started, only to be hissed at again by Flowey, who had desperation in his voice.

“NO!”

You jumped a little at his voice, and noticing, his voice quieted down as he continued.

“No one can know I’m here!”

“Well they won’t let us through other-”

“Fine! Just...don’t tell them!”

And after that, Flowey drooped down, returning to his flower-like state just as your car began to slow, rolling to a stop at the checkpoint. Suddenly, you were starting to feel nervous. The police were definitely going to question you.

You rolled down your window as one of the officers walked up, squinting at you suspiciously and glancing at Flowey in the seat next to you.

“State your business.” He was chewing on something- gum?- and you glanced away nervously. What was going to be your excuse? Just here to plant this flower? Yeah right.

“Uuuhm…” You bit your lip. “This isn’t the way to Mount Willard?”

Wow, (y/n). What an excuse! He was really going to buy that one.

He stared at you for an uncomfortably long time, continuing to chew directly in your face, before he heaved a deep sigh and rolling his eyes.

“Nope. This is the way to Mount Ebott, which is off-limits for the time being. Try not to get lost again. Use your GPS on your phone or something.”

Well, he didn’t have to be so damn condescending, did he? But at least he believed you. You shuddered to think about seeing yourself on the news. [This just in: human caught trying to break into the Underground! Trying to cause havoc??] Blech. You didn’t want to be associated with that group of monster-haters.

When the car was far enough away from the checkpoint, Flowey fluttered back to life, and you couldn’t help but start to scold him for almost getting you in trouble.

“Okay, so what the hell was tha-”

“Thanks.”

You hadn’t known the little guy for long, but you could tell that he was the kind of guy that gratitude was hard to come by from him. It made you think of why he didn’t want anyone to know he was out and about. A fugitive from monsters, perhaps? Or did he simply prefer to stay alone?

The two of you took a few minutes before either spoke.

  
“No problem.” You stole a glance at him, watching him look out the window to the stars, something he’d done more of the car ride here. He seemed fascinated by them, but there was a sort of familiarity in his eyes.

It was no secret that monsters were very fond of the stars and the sky, something that they hadn’t been able to enjoy while they were trapped underground. They held constellation-viewing parties, immensely enjoyed fireworks, and engaged in quite a bit of cloud gazing. It wasn’t an uncommon sight to see a monster simply staring at the sky from time to time. It made humans realize how special the sky was, too. Made them appreciate it more.

You thought of this as your eyes gazed up at the stars too, but making sure you paid attention to the road. You didn’t get to see stars too often since you had moved to the city, so you had sort of missed them.

Maybe you’ll sign up for one of those parties soon or something.

“We’ll try again soon, when security stops being so tight. Though I’m not sure when that will be.” You finally spoke up. You felt bad that all Flowey wanted to do was go home, and now even that was impossible. Well, you could’ve just hiked up from before the police checkpoint, but that was a two or three-day trip, not a day thing like if you had parked at the base of the mountain. You didn’t have that kind of time, really.

“In the meantime, you can stay with me!” You seemed a bit too enthusiastic, as evidenced by Flowey’s glare in your direction.

“Fine. But I’m not sleeping in a plastic container. It’s degrading.”

You couldn’t help but laugh, realizing that he’d been housed in your little tupperware lunch box since you had brought him home.

“It’s not funny!” He protested indignantly, and though you tried to stifle your laughter, it continued, forcing an angry pout onto Flowey’s face as he turned away from you.

 

* * *

 

“So, do you want me to help y-”

“I don’t need your help!”

You watched as Flowey struggled to lift a chicken tender that was nearly the size that he was. You noted to yourself that the next fast food place you picked, it would have to have smaller ones. Or pick chicken nuggets. As you watched in amusement, you took a bite of your own meal, pretty much the same combo you got every time you went to Gal’s, the twenty-four-hour restaurant that your apartment building housed on the first floor.

You had even asked how he even needed to eat if he was a flower, which he wasn’t too happy to answer. He was a monster, not a flower. Even if he did LOOK like one. Though that didn’t explain how he survived the Underground without any food around, why he insisted on being in his dirt pot when he didn’t need to be, and why he simply didn’t use his roots you’d seen him use before (that somehow extended??), but you decided not to pry into that one.

Finally, he managed to prop up the chicken and take a large bite out of it, chewing vigorously with relief on his face. You couldn’t help but smile, and he noticed.

“You’ve got something in your teeth.”

“Wait, really?” You held a hand up to your mouth.

“Nope! Hah!” He laughed smugly, a grin on his face. You narrowed your eyes suspiciously at him, but then realized it was the first time you had seen him smile since the two of you had met. It was nice.

After dinner, you helped Flowey set up on the couch, glancing at the clock above the TV. It was already 2am, and you had to work tomorrow.

“Alright Flowey, don’t hesitate to wake me up if you need anything.”

“Hmph. Fine.”

Well, he certainly didn’t like to be helped, but you shrugged.

As you snuggled into bed, you sighed deeply and thought about the day’s events. Before today, you had almost nothing to do with monsters. At least, directly. You hadn’t even known a single one’s name outside of the monster’s king, Asgore. It wasn’t that you were against them or anything, but your life was busy. At least, that’s what you’d thought before today. And now you worked with them, and for the time being, living with one, even if no one was supposed to know he was here.

You closed your eyes.

What was going to happen next?

  


 

 

> _April 15, 2011_
> 
> _So things got kind of..fucked. I’m not sure how to explain the meaning of “fucked” in a way that you’ll understand but…_
> 
> _He caught me. Last night he was called off almost as soon as he got there and when he came back, he found me in his room, going through his stuff. I didn’t even get the chance to figure anything out!_
> 
> _He didn’t shout or anything, but he definitely wasn’t happy about it either. He asked me what I was doing and I caved. I had to tell him the truth!_
> 
> _And then he laughed. Crazy, right? He told me next time to just ask him. But it was kind of weird because like...well, I dunno. I dug through his stuff, violated his privacy, right? He should hate me! But now we have this kind of weird semi-cool vibe going on. Sometimes he still surprises me, but, not in a bad way._
> 
> _I can’t tell if I trust him or not, though. This morning I caught him staring at me when my parents left, and I couldn’t figure out why._
> 
> _Oh well, I’ll keep you updated. Maybe he’s just a weirdo, haha! Have a good night, portal-friend!_
> 
>  
> 
> _(y/n)_


	4. What a Week

> _ (Y/n) _
> 
> _ Mr. Rodriguez _
> 
> _ Pre-Calculus 4th period _
> 
> _ 18 April 2011 _
> 
>  
> 
> _ [The page is filled with one solved and many unsolved math problems, and doodles filling the corners of the page.] _

  
  


It had been a few days since your sudden roommate’s arrival, and if that wasn’t stressful enough, things at work had gotten...somewhat out of hand.

Gina had approved your hiring choices. In the end, you had picked Papyrus for the front end since, while he was nervous at the interview, seemed to enjoy interacting with people, and for the back end, you’d picked Green, the blue bear, since he was large and could probably carry more than the human warehouse workers in any given time.

The Friday had started off as any other day this week had started. You walked in, heading directly for your office before being stopped by one of the workers. Today, it was Lucia, an older petite woman who had been a cashier at the store for many years. She was a worrier, and often came to you or Gina when things even seemed  _ slightly  _ off before.

“(Y/n)!” Your face didn’t change from its tired expression as your eyes fell on her, her lips tightened into a small, concerned frown. 

“Yes, Miss Lucia?” You tried to sound upbeat, but you could already tell where the day was going. 

“It’s Papyrus!”

“Oh, is it?” You tried to play up your surprise, but it was fairly obvious that you weren’t. But before she could even explain what the problem was, you had already spotted Papyrus in one of the aisles and made his way over to him, quickly keying in on the conversation he was having with a customer, who seemed exasperated, but also slightly amused.

“I AM SORRY MA’AM. NONE OF THE DRESSES HAVE SUNS ON THEM.” Papyrus was looking more worried as the customer crossed her arms. “I HAVE METICULOUSLY LOOKED THROUGH THEM, I PROMISE YOU!”

“You’re not getting it! I’m looking for a sundress. Not a dress with suns!” 

You quickly saw what the problem was, and shook your head slightly. First off, it seemed that Papyrus had little knowledge of clothing. Which was fine, clothing had lots of ins and outs you had to learn to be an expert. But secondly, Marcus was not with him, someone who was  _ supposed  _ to be training him at the time. And thirdly, the store was large (it spanned quite a few floors), but it wasn’t impossible to navigate. The woman could have easily looked at the directory. 

“Ma’am, the sundresses, as well as all of our summer clothing, is on the second floor. Shall I walk you up there?” You asked politely. You didn’t deal with customers very often but you were knowledgeable enough in customer service. You’d worked in that position plenty before you graduated. 

“Yes please!”

Motioning to Papyrus to follow, the three of you made your way upstairs and you navigated her to where the sundresses were out on display. The customer quickly scurried off to look through them happily.

“Papyrus, sundresses are a style of dress that women wear during the summer. It’s got nothing to do with the sun. Sort of.” 

“I apologize!” He seemed pretty down (his voice usually dropped a few decibels, as you learned to tell), so you patted him on the arm...bone (you didn’t think you could reach his shoulders) and gave him a small smile. 

This had basically been happening all week. It was tiring having to micromanage Papyrus, but, it seemed that he was steadily learning, albeit slowly. And today was yet just another reason for you to take over Marcus’s training. You doubted it was because Papyrus was a monster, and more that Marcus was just lazy and preferred to be on his phone at the cash register. You’d have to scold him later.

“It’s alright Papyrus, you’ll get the hang of it eventually. Why don’t we spend some time today and go over different types of clothing? Just in case someone asks for something specific again.” 

“THANK YOU MANAGER (Y/N)! THAT SOUNDS LIKE A WONDERFUL PLAN AS USUAL!” Papyrus’s mood swung back into his natural happy state, pumping a fist up in the air as he shouted. You smiled up at him. Even if he was hard to manage, being around Papyrus was fun. 

“Thanks! You could say I’m a great... _ planager!”  _ Okay, that was terrible, but no matter how terrible your puns were, they always seemed to get Papyrus riled up. You’d learned that the second day he was here, and you couldn’t help but tease him. 

“MANAGER (Y/N)! PLEASE!”

 

* * *

 

 

It was nearing closing time, and although you were usually in your office at this time, finalizing orders and researching on what to do next, Gina had failed to show up that day and thus, you were in charge of closing everything. Not to mention, helping out Papyrus in learning how.

But as you were helping him fix racks of clothing, you couldn’t help but feel a chill down your spine. You glanced around the store, looking for anything unusual. Your eyes froze as you looked out the front window. 

Standing there was a scruffy man, with ragged brown hair, an unkempt beard, and dirt-covered clothes that looked like they hadn’t been washed in some time. But he didn’t seem...homeless, for some reason, you thought. Just dirty. Like he hadn’t left the house for a long time. But his eyes were what worried you the most.

Dark. Vicious. Like he was about to hurt someone. And that was when you realized that he wasn’t looking at you, but he was looking directly at Papyrus. You turned to Papyrus to say something, but when you looked back, the man was gone. Like he was never even there. 

So when the store lights shut off and you walked with Papyrus outside, you couldn’t help but feel paranoid for him. Glancing around the alleyway that housed the backdoor of the store, you failed to see anyone but Marcus leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette and tapping away on his phone. 

“So, Papyrus, do you usually walk home? Take the bus?” Maybe you could walk him home?

“NONSENSE! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, DRIVE AN AWESOME CAR!”

A car, huh? You quickly mapped out the area in your head, looking for the closest parking garage or lot. The closest one was a couple of blocks away and in the opposite direction of your apartment, but...you didn’t want to see him get hurt. You could only think of the anger in that man’s eyes as he stared down Papyrus, who was helping you without a care in the world.

Papyrus, noticing your silence for a few moments, took it as an invitation.

“MANAGER (Y/N), YOU SEEM INTERESTED! WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IT?” He cheerfully said, and you nodded, taking it as the perfect chance to walk him to his car, and perhaps better his spirits outside of work.

“You must live kind of far if you’re commuting to work, Papyrus. How diligent!” You smiled at him.

The two of you talked the entire way, Papyrus mentioning how he lived in the giant megacomplex that Ebott City had built in order to give monsters their own places to live outside of the Underground. They were free to live wherever they wanted, of course, but many had to find jobs first before they could move out and into the city. Of course, that didn’t mean that all of them were forced to start out destitute. Apparently, the Underground used real gold as their currency! 

“WE HAVE ARRIVED!” Papyrus announced excitedly, and in this lonesome car lot was one exquisite red sports car, sparking underneath the streetlamps.

“Whoa, a sports car?” The both of you walked closer to the car, and you examined it briefly before you were interrupted by a deafening roar of an engine and a bright headlight that forced you to cover your eyes. Even though you could barely see, you saw that Papyrus had taken a small (big for you) step in front of you, as if to protect you. You felt your heart skip a beat at the sentiment, but at the same time it made you wonder if Papyrus wasn’t as innocent as you had made him out to be?

When the headlamp turned off, you watched a helmeted motorcycle rider get off, stepping towards the two of you, and as you stepped out from behind Papyrus, the figure stopped in his tracks. You couldn’t see his face, but you were sure he was looking at you. Your heart raced, wondering if this was the man from earlier (despite the different clothing), and prepared to reach in your pocket and call the police, until Papyrus spoke up again.

“SANS! WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU? I DON’T NEED YOU TO CHECK UP ON ME!” Papyrus seemed annoyed but also grateful that it was someone he recognized. You relaxed, your shoulders drooping. 

The figure took his helmet off, and revealed yet another...skeleton? He was a bit different than Papyrus, though you assumed they were somehow related (was that racist?). This “Sans” character was considerably shorter than Papyrus (standing at about your height) and covered himself in poofy clothing that made him seem wider, though you doubted it if he was actually a skeleton. His face (skull?) was more rounded, and instead of animated eyes, he sort of had...reverse pupils, in a way. And when he looked at Papyrus, a large, toothy grin exploded across his face. 

“sorry bro, couldn’t help it.”

Papyrus sighed loudly.

“IT CAN’T BE HELPED. SANS, THIS IS MANAGER (Y/N). MANAGER (Y/N), THIS IS MY BROTHER, SANS!” 

Hah! You called it. 

“Pleasure to meet you, Sans.” You nodded a greeting and held out your hand, your muscle memory kicking in from all those professional meetings you attended. 

But he didn’t return the gesture, and you retracted your hand after a period of time, feeling defeated. Well, not everyone was into handshakes, you guessed. It still stung a bit though. Even Papyrus had shaken your hand when you’d met, though that  _ was _ a job interview. 

“sup.” Was all he said, and looked towards his brother again, dismissing your presence entirely. “you heading home?” 

“YES SANS! I WAS JUST SHOWING MY FRIEND HERE MY CAR, THEY SEEMED INTERESTED!” 

Friend? You couldn’t help but smile a little, your worries of Sans melting a bit. Did he consider you, his boss, your friend? That was a first. But you shook your head out of the clouds and nodded a bit to the both of them. You’d done your job escorting Papyrus to his car, it was pretty clear that this Sans guy didn’t want you around, and Flowey was at home waiting. 

“Alright, well, I’ll see you next shift, Papyrus.” You paused and glanced at Sans, who made eye contact with you. “Have a good night.” 

And with that, you turned on your heel and walked back to where you had come from, heading home. Maybe you would pick up something for Flowey on the way home? 

And whilst your back was turned and Papyrus was getting into his car, Sans heaved a sigh. He stared at you as you walked away, his face downcast. Eventually, he pulled some headphones off of his neck, placing them over his skull and from his jacket pocket, a small iPod shuffle. The buttons were worn and the color had all but faded away. But it didn’t matter, since he knew all the buttons by heart anyway.

And then he drove off, the roar of his motorcycle reaching your ears as you turned down an alleyway.

 

* * *

 

 

“So what did you do today?” You asked Flowey as you took another bite of ravioli. You’d stopped by Stefano’s, some Italian place that was on your way home from work. 

He looked up from being face-first in his risotto, having given up on trying to eat it with any utensils. You were still hit or miss with foods that were easy for him to eat. But you couldn’t help but snort when you saw rice all over his face and petals.

He gave you a dark look before answering your question. Talking about your day had become sort of a daily routine much to the surprise of both of you.

“I watched the news for any sign of the blockade stopping, of course.” He always said that first, and you wondered if it was because he wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. You didn’t blame him. “But after that, I practiced using that stupid phone you got me.” Well, it was the only thing you could afford, so. “Then...well, I TRIED to read your books. They’re so boring!”

“Books? Oh, you mean my old textbooks. Well yeah, they’re really boring.” You laughed a bit. Maybe if he liked to read, you’d buy him some? But then you realized that he wouldn’t stay here forever. Why were you trying to accommodate him so much? 

When he finished, he went back to eating. He never really asked you how  _ your _ day went, but you always told him anyway. Even if he didn’t want to hear it.

“Mmm, today went alright for me. Hectic, ever since you arrived, somehow.” You joked, taking another bite of your pasta. “I ended up having to train that new employee again, but he’s fun to be around. Then we walked to his car together. I’m surprised a monster is even able to afford a convertible so quickly! Maybe he had lots of gold on hand when he left the Underground.”

At this, Flowey looked up from his food again and gave you a questioning look, his mouth still full of food. “Monsh-ter? You didn’t tell me you hired monsh-ters.”

“Sure we do. It’d be discrimination if we didn’t, plus they work just as hard.”

“Who did you hire?”

You realized that maybe Flowey knew him!

“Oh, his name is Papyrus! He’s a giant sk-”

Before you could finish, Flowey begun coughing, food having been caught in his throat. 

“Are you alright?” You asked, ready to stand out of your seat to pat his back-...er, stem.

“I’m fine! Ahaha. Never heard of him.” He glanced sideways as he said it, and you doubted his sincerity. But who were you to question him? Besides, by now you knew the more questions you asked, the less you got from Flowey.

“Big world, after all. Anyway, I met his brother today, I think his name was Sans?”

Flowey seemed to have the same reaction (with less choking), which made you nervous. They seemed like alright people when you met them, right? So, what had gotten Flowey all stressed?

“Look, (y/n).” Flowey started, using his leaves to wipe away at his face so you would take him more seriously. “Not all monsters are trustworthy, alright? You should be careful.” 

You shuddered a bit at his words. If Flowey, the monster who you barely knew anything about and yet still sort of trusted told you this, then what were the implications behind his words? Everyone had been so progressive in accepting monsters that no one had ever said anything bad about them. And now, a monster was telling you that you should be careful? That had to mean something. Were Papyrus and Sans not trustworthy? You remembered how Papyrus was going to protect you earlier, but...

“Mm. Okay. I’ll follow your advice, Flowey.” You gave him a smile to let him know that you were intent on heeding his warning. It seemed to calm him down a bit, and the two of finished dinner together before plopping on the couch and watching some TV show Flowey seemed to enjoy.

But the entire time you couldn’t get his words out of your head.

  
  
  


> _ April 19, 2011 _
> 
>  
> 
> _ Oooooh man. So today before pre-cal I went to do my homework (I’m a bit of a procrastinator, what can I say?) and well, instead I found the letter I wrote you yesterday. I was in such a rush to get home that I must have mixed them up somehow.  _
> 
> _ So not only did Mr. Rodriguez give me a zero, but as I was looking over the letter he… _
> 
> _ HE READ IT TO THE WHOLE CLASS! _
> 
> _ I was so embarrassed. Fortunately I didn’t say portal-friend that time so they just thought it was some kind of love letter! I guess I was in kind of a good mood when I wrote it, haha. So now everyone thinks I have some secret estranged significant other or something. UGH! You should have seen my face, I was red as a tomato! (Btw, humans faces get super red when they’re embarrassed! Especially mine.) _
> 
> _ I don’t stand out too much in class but really! That was way too much. :( _
> 
> _ The worst part is, he tore it up and threw it away! Now I can’t even send you the belated letter. I’m sorry. Well, this one will have to make up for it!  _
> 
> _ [At this point, a small drawing of a figure writing next to their interpretation of the barrier is drawn.] _
> 
> _ There! That’s what it looks like when I write to you! Oops, I used up too much of the page drawing the picture. I better wrap this up. _
> 
> _ Anyway, don’t worry about my zero! I’m sure Mr. Roddy will give me some extra credit to make up for it! I’m a good noodle! Sometimes, hehe.  _
> 
> _ Write to you soon! _


	5. Points of View

 

> _April 25, 2011_
> 
> _Do you get sick, or is that just a human thing? Sick is like...when your body is fighting against germs and stuff. Bacteria. Viruses. I’m not sick or anything, but there’s a lot of pollen in the air. (Pollen is like...the stuff that plants use to fertilize themselves? I think?) Everyone at school had allergies today, and its only Monday!_
> 
> _But allergies are nothing. One of my friends had mono once, and she was out of school for like...3 weeks! I felt so bad for her. She said she got it from her boyfriend or something, but it IS called the “kissing disease”. (Do you know what kissing is? It’s like...well...you put your lips together and like...I dunno! It’s hard to describe! And embarrassing.) Anyway, if you can’t get it from each other, then where did he get it from?_
> 
> _Suspicious._
> 
> _Anyway, I better get back, even though I don’t really want to. My mom is making that butterfly pasta again. I mean it’s not like I don’t like it, but when you eat the same thing like, every week, and then have to eat it for lunch the next day...ah well. Maybe when I’m older I’ll reminisce about it or something._
> 
> _See ya! (y/n)_

 

“SANS!! DINNER IS READY!!” Papyrus called out to his older brother, setting the table with blinding speed.

Their home was not too much different than the one they had in Snowdin, minus the few extra rooms and the shed.

When the shorter skeleton walked into the kitchen, the smell of tomatoes and garlic overtook his nose, and glanced at the...well, it was pasta, but it wasn’t spaghetti.

“smells good. what is it?” Sans asked as he took a seat across from his brother. The shape reminded him of a bow-tie, like the one Papyrus had bought when they had come up to the surface.

“APPARENTLY, THIS IS CALLED FARFALLE!” He said proudly.

Sans couldn’t help but chuckle at his brother’s enthusiasm.

Things couldn’t have gone better for the monsters and their transition to the surface. The humans were wildly cooperative, and cracked down on any racism that they encountered quickly. Even though the monsters didn’t have much when they left, the humans seemed to find anything monster related as a sort of commodity, as if it were rare and there was even an ongoing group that collected things, as far as Sans knew. Papyrus was enjoying himself immensely though he didn’t blame that restaurant for having to let him go. It seemed that humans were terrified of fire. Well, most of them. Fireworks seemed to be an exception.

In any case, things were peaceful, and they were free. Something Sans had worked for most of his life.

Taking a bite of the pasta as he thought, he felt his brother’s eyes on him.

“WELL? WHAT DO YOU THINK?”

“it’s good. where’d you get the idea?” Man, his brother was so cool.

“AH! ACTUALLY, I ASKED MY NEW MANAGER FOR ADVICE, AND THEY RECOMMENDED THIS ONE!” Papyrus seemed proud.

“your manager, hm? they nice?” Even up here, Sans couldn’t help but be worried for his brother. Even though everyone was “nice”, Sans made sure to keep up on any news that threatened violence towards monsters, and mainly, his brother.

“VERY! THEY REMIND ME A LOT OF YOU, SANS! THEY ARE EASYGOING AND NATURALLY COMFORTABLE TO BE AROUND! EXCEPT...”

Sans looked up from his food and cocked an eyebrow. Except..?

“THEY’RE NOT LAZY LIKE YOU! NYEH HEH HEH! I THINK WE CAN BE GREAT FRIENDS!”

Sans’s face split into a grin. Well that was good.

The one thing that hadn’t happened yet were actual friendships with humans other than Frisk. Even Frisk had a hard time making friends with their fellow humans, and Sans really couldn’t figure out why. Humans were nice enough, and seemingly protective of monsters, but they separated themselves anyway. They were more interested to talk _about_ monsters rather than _to_ them.

In any case, Sans was glad that Papyrus’s new manager seemed to be different. Especially in comparison to his last manager.

After dinner, Sans returned to his room, plopping down at his desk and releasing a satisfied exhale. He had to say, Papyrus’s cooking improved tenfold ever since they got to the surface, though Sans always thought it was good anyway.

He glanced over at an envelope on his desk, opened, but the letter inside was tucked neatly away.

His frown tightened, and he gingerly reached over and fingered the envelope with his hands, the crinkles of the letter soft yet crisp. The envelope, in stark contrast to the others, was a pure white, not yet touched by the hand of time. But that wasn’t the only difference between this letter and the others.

The outside of the letter was blank.

Other than the first few letters he’d found, almost every letter he’d received was adorned on the outside of the envelope with some kind of title, or drawing, or scribble. _Anything_.

But just as the letter read, you weren’t intending this letter for anyone. Or maybe it was the opposite.

...but it didn’t matter.

Sans didn’t know why he decided an impromptu trip back to the Underground. But he had, and found himself walking through the hallway that housed his best and worst memories. His bones had ached simply being in that place. His chest ached for a wound that wasn’t there. His toothy grin remiss of hope that had once been. A flood of many emotions overwhelmed him. Contempt. Happiness. Confusion. Anger. Peace. War.

And that was when he saw the letter.

You had been there, the same day that he had gone to visit, and he’d barely missed you. You’d delivered your last letter, something he thought he’d never get to see. He’d read and reread the contents nearly a hundred times, like he did with a lot of your old letters. Your handwriting hadn’t changed much in the last year (though he could tell you put a lot of thought into the letter rather than rushing it), and you still did that thing where your sentences became slanted when you were emotional.

Things were great for monsters up here. Papyrus was happy, Frisk seemed to be under control and the humans defied all expectations of them and their violence-happy past with the monsters. He had nothing to complain about.

Well, almost nothing.

His hands tightened around the envelope.

...where were _you_?

Of course, he hadn’t expected the answer to that question to be answered the very next night.

 

* * *

 

Fuck. Fuck. _Fuck._

Flowey’s teeth chattered away almost as soon as you had closed the door to your room to go to bed.

“Seriously? What kind of goddamn coincidence that the one human who finds me immediately hires Papyrus afterwards?” He hissed to himself.

Well, it wasn’t Papyrus he was worried about. He doubted that pea-brain would even recognize him, let alone remember who he was.

No, it was the people he was _friends_ with.

Things had been going so well, too. You were nice to be around. Not too clingy, a refreshing presence. You pretty much did whatever he asked, and although you asked some questions, you were beginning to get that some things were best left unsaid. Though you had a terrible sense of humor, Flowey was beginning to enjoy staying here, against all odds.

Then again, anything was better than resets of the same time frame and the same monsters in the same place and all he wanted to do was get out of there and _why didn’t anyone remember anything_ and _why was the outcome always the same_ and _**he’d do anything to**_ -

“Stop.” He whispered to himself, lowering his head to the armrest of the couch. He couldn’t let his past catch up with him. Things were different now.

He...liked you. Sort of. In the, ‘I’m-tolerating-you’ way, he told himself.

And even though he trusted you to keep your mouth shut about him, shit was bound to happen. Things always did when that idiot Frisk got a whiff of things, which they undoubtedly would.

And if that smiley trash bag caught wind of it after that, he’d get the short end of a bone someplace he didn’t want.

It wasn’t _technically_ lying. He just casually mentioned that some monsters were not as innocent as they seemed.

And _casually_ implied that the skeleton brothers might be what he was talking about.

The look on your face was priceless.

 

* * *

 

“What? How long is she going to be gone?” You asked, concern lining your voice as you looked at the owner of the company, Owen himself. He was older than you, but you didn’t think he could be much older than 40. Somehow, he started this company and was wildly successful, even though you thought he was a greasy scumbag with a terrible combover and the worst shave you’d seen in your life.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s nothing life-threatening. For her, at least. Gina’ll be gone a couple weeks, maybe more.”

Ah, Owen. Classy as always.

“I mean, I’ll do the best I can but I’m just a-” You started, but a heavy hand on your shoulder stopped you.

“Look, (y/n).” You hated when he said your name. “I trust you can do both jobs. And if you can’t, then just get one of the new hires to help you out, right? It’ll be fine. I’ll check up on you. Maybe even help ya out!”

You had doubts.

“Anyway, I gotta get goin, I have a poker tournament to go to.”

You didn’t even have it in you to feign surprise.

And with that, he was gone. You stopped yourself from sighing in frustration at the circumstance. Gina’s job was something that you didn’t think TWO of you could handle, nevertheless her job AND your job. You would have to be pulling some overtime until she got back.

You walked out of the office. At least today was Saturday, the store’s half day where they closed at 4. And Sundays they were closed, for whatever reason. You didn’t think Owen was that religious, but hey, it was a free day off.

“MANAGER (Y/N)! I HAVE FINISHED REFOLDING ALL OF THE CLOTHES ON THE TABLES!” Papyrus cheerfully announced to you as he strode up.

You couldn’t help but replay Flowey’s warning in your head as he walked up, the familiar smile plastered all over his face.

“MANAGER (Y/N)?”

You had a _really_ hard time believing it, but you didn’t think Flowey had any reason to lie to you, either.

“Really? What’s that then?” You pointed behind him.

You could feel Papyrus shock as he saw the display he had just fixed in utter disarray, his hands flying up into the air.

“NYEH-? HOW? IS THIS SORCERY?”

You let out a laugh as you watched him. Somehow, his “eyes” seemed to “bug out”, even though he had no eyes to speak of. You thought back to Flowey’s face-changing, and figured it must be something normal amongst monsters.

“You could call it that, I suppose. Those things never stay clean. Especially not on Saturdays.”

Your amusement subsided after a brief moment and you coughed a bit to catch his attention.

“Hey, Papyrus, quick question.”

“HMM?” He flipped around with ease, a look of eagerness on his face.

“Your brother, Sans. What’s he like?”

Papyrus seemed surprised at the change of subject, but gave it a sincere moment of thought before answering with confidence.

“HE’S A GOOD FOR NOTHING LAZYBONES WHO NAPS TOO MUCH AND TELLS BAD JOKES!”

You were caught off guard for a moment, not expecting such a... _honest_ answer. Not to mention that that description didn’t match someone who sounded “dangerous”.

“But...he can be a cool guy too, sometimes.” Although his voice dropped a few decibels, you could still hear the enthusiasm in Papyrus’s voice. It was sweet.

“Aw, that’s nice.” You smiled up at him, which Papyrus reciprocated.

“WHY DO YOU ASK?”

“Well, uh…” You didn’t want to insult his brother that he just praised, and not to mention you didn’t want to admit someone had told you that they were dangerous. Would that just tick them off? Besides, Flowey said he’d “never heard of them,” even if you could tell he was fibbing. Maybe he was just generalizing?

You realized you hadn’t answered in some time, and that Papyrus was giving you a quizzical look.

“Oh, uh, nothing.” You shrugged, looking at some clothing rather than directly at Papyrus.

“HMM...WHATEVER YOU SAY, MANAGER (Y/N)!” He seemed to brush it off easily and you felt relieved.

“Anyway, let’s get back to work! I see another table with your name on it…”

“WHAT? WHO WROTE MY NAME ON THE TABLE? THAT’S VANDALISM!”

 

* * *

 

“Temmie flakes?” You murmured quietly as you pulled the box of cereal off the shelf, examining the cover and looking for the nutrition information.

Whoops, you forgot again. Monster food didn’t have nutrition facts on their foods. Magic and all that.

“So good you can’t taste it? What does that even mean?” You questioned the slogan.

Even though this grocery store was across town, you’d made the trip after work since you got off earlier anyway. You figured that maybe something monster-made would be easier for Flowey to eat, and this was one of the few places to get it, according to your maps.

The store itself was nice, although it pretty much looked like any other store you’d been to. Just with...more monsters, and more monster-products.

So far, you’d picked up something called a “cinnamon bunny” and “spider cider”. All the descriptions were kind of weird (that spider cider seemed especially suspicious), but you didn’t try to read too much into them. Marketing in the monster world must’ve been very different anyway.

“Let’s see, ooh, a pasta aisle.” You didn’t cook much for yourself (you ate out more than you liked to admit) but if they had some specialty monster pasta, then maybe you could try cooking some-

Wait. Was this entire aisle just spaghetti?

“What the…”

You blinked. Spaghetti. You turned your head. More spaghetti. You examined a box. Wow, some spaghetti.

They were all different brands, but in the end, it was all still pretty much spaghetti. Was...was this a thing for monsters? Did they just REALLY enjoy spaghetti?

You thought back to Papyrus, whom asked you for some cooking advice a couple of days ago. He DID say he cooked spaghetti a lot, so you’d given him a nostalgic alternative (but a safe one, since it was also pasta).

While you thought to yourself, turning over a box of the stuff, you heard a shout, sounding distant at first but steadily growing louder until it was right next to you.

“Don’t worry, they’re ALL good picks! TRUST me!!” Before you could even turn around to face the boisterous voice, you felt a hard jab to your back that knocked the wind out of you, stumbling you forward a bit. Your breathlessness made whatever noise that had just come out of your mouth sounding like alien communication.

That was going to leave a bruise.

You sucked in a breath of air before straightening your posture.

“W-wow, really? I suppose it doesn’t matter which one I pick, then.” You looked towards your would-be attacker to find a feminine-looking monster who was quite muscular. She had dark blue skin and razor-sharp teeth that poked out from beyond her mouth. What interested you was her striking red hair, which was tied up into a ponytail. Well, and the fact that she was quite larger than you. Not as tall as Papyrus, though she was much scarier-looking.

“Yeah!! Here, take these!” Without even asking you, she threw several boxes of spaghetti into your basket, far too many than what you would have originally purchased. You’d just have to put them back when she walked away.

 

Eventually.

 

Any second now.

 

...

 

She wasn’t walking away.

 

“Um. I don’t think I can eat all of these by myself.”

With that, she made a small hum, looking you up and down as she examined you, a crossed look on her face.

“You’re right. YOU’RE WAY TOO PUNY!” She roared her head back in laughter, and you gave a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of your head. Even though she was making fun of you, you didn’t think that she was trying to be malicious. Maybe just...sort of funny, even though it was at your expense.

“Are you telling me _you_ can eat all this spaghetti?” You were both being sarcastic and genuinely curious. Flowey seemed to eat as much as you, and he was literally the size of a chicken tender.

“OF COURSE!”

...

The two of you laughed together, and you began to put away most of the spaghetti that she had placed in your basket, a smile on your face.

Well, that interaction had gone better than you thought it would. She wasn’t as scary as she seemed, even though she was scary-strong. Well, you wondered, was she considered strong for monsters, or was she average?

As you thought, she punched your arm playfully, and though there was still a lot of strength behind it, your footing prevented you from being pushed back this time.

“What’s your name, punk?”

“I’m (y/n). Nice to meet you...” You gestured for her name.

“I’m Undyne! You seem like the JUST the person I was looking for! How good are you at bowling??”

“Bowling?” You thought for a moment. “I’m not sure, it’s been sometime since I’ve played.” You shrugged.

“So you have experience! GREAT!!”

You furrowed your eyebrows together in apprehensiveness. She was clearly inviting you somewhere. It wasn’t that you didn’t like her or something, but the two of you literally just met. You didn’t even do this sort of thing with people that you knew _well._ Then again, you were starting to see sort of a pattern. Monsters seemed to make friends quicker than humans did.

“Wait, I don’t think that-”

“What, you don’t think I can beat YOU?”

“I don’t really know you-”

“So you DO think so!”

She didn’t really seem angry about the accusation that you never made, but took it more in a competitive manner. In any case, you weren’t really getting anywhere on your end of the conversation.

Well, what was the worst that could happen? It was just bowling, after all.

“Well, ahaha, if you insist, I’ll join you for bowling.”

And so, even though it was an albeit weird meeting in the middle of the strange spaghetti-only aisle, you reluctantly exchanged numbers with her and checked out.

 

 

> _[This letter was not only enveloped, but protected by a sealed plastic bag.]_
> 
> _May 1, 2011_
> 
> _Aah, it figures that my luck would run out at the end of the rainy season. I’m sure you’ve noticed (since I know rain can go through the portal, too) that sometimes I come up here after it’s rained, y’know._
> 
> _But today I slipped on some mud and I think I sprained my ankle. It really hurts to move._
> 
> _I’m gonna call someone for help, of course, but I want to make my way down the mountain some first. I don’t want them to find you after all. I just hope I don’t make it worse or anything._
> 
> _Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it has plenty of time to...heel. Hehe._
> 
> _Better get going before the ~mountain lions~ come out and find some easy prey. Maybe if I just...butt-scooch down the mountain?_
> 
> _I’ll figure it out._
> 
> _If I’m not back in two weeks, I’m dead!_
> 
> _(y/n)_


	6. Two's Company

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: in this chapter, bowling.

 

 

> _June 2, 2011_
> 
> _So, good news and bad news. The bad news is, my dad made me join a sports team because he said, and I quote, “You spend too much time in those woods, youngin’, you need to get a REAL hobby!” Hah, what does HE know? I partially blame last month’s ankle sprain._
> 
> _But anyway, the good news is, the sport he wanted me to pick is BOWLING! That’s like, the EASIEST sport EVER, am I right?_
> 
> _Wait, you might not know what bowling is. It’s like this game where you take a ball, and you try to knock down pins! ...that sounds really stupid when you put it like that. Here, I’ll just put the flyer I picked up in the envelope, it’s got pictures and stuff on it._
> 
> _So yeah! I mean sure, now I actually have to do something on my summer break, but at least it’s not like, soccer or something strenuous. I’d rather do nothing and nap up here, but, you gotta choose your battles. If I told my dad to stuff it, he’d blow a fuse! Though, I think all parents are like that, don’t you think?_
> 
> _Do you have parents? Do you have a family? Siblings? Kids? Cousins? Dare I ask...LOVERS? Hehe, just kidding._
> 
> _Hmm, the sun is threatening me with darkness. If only I could teleport! Then I’d have more time to write to you without worrying about that pesky walk down._
> 
> _Better go. I gotta practice my bowling arm, anyhow!_
> 
> _(y/n)_

  


Grassy fields stretched out before you, softly tickling your legs and face as you splayed out on the grass, the ground as soft as a pillow. The air was sweet and clean, and the sky was a clear blue, spotted with cotton candy-like clouds rolling across the sky at a leisurely pace. Every time the breeze passed by, the grass whispered amongst itself, and you could see pollen in the air dancing across you as it searched for a new home.

Everything felt...serene.

You sat up, your hair moving with the breeze now. You squinted your eyes to try and see through the bright sunlight. Was someone walking towards you?

Before you could make out who it was, you felt a presence next to you and when you looked down, you saw a familiar flower looking up at you.

Flowey was saying something to you, but you couldn’t hear his voice. In fact, you couldn’t hear anything except for the breeze rushing past your ears. You tilted your head, trying to make out what he was trying to tell you.

The wind picked up even more, and the sunlight was blocked out. The figure in the distance had stopped moving. Flowey looked angry now.

In fact, Flowey got so angry that he started to grow...bigger? Green tendrils wrapped around you and picked you up. His face contorted into a twisted grin, and with ease, he tossed you across the field.

“Ooph! Owwww!” You landed on the floor of your bedroom with a hard thump, violently pulled from your dream.

“Finally! I’ve been trying to wake you up forever!” Flowey was on the edge of your bed looking down at you, back to his non-dream size.

You rubbed your eyes and yawned. Well, you certainly were awake now. Even if it was your day off and you usually slept in.

“What did you need, Flowey?”

“I, uh…” He paused, and shuffled onto the other side of the bed so you couldn’t see his face. “I’m bored!”

 

* * *

 

After your shower, you’d made your way to the kitchen for breakfast when you remembered the groceries you’d bought the night before. Flowey was already asleep when you’d gotten home, so you didn’t get a chance to show him.

“Hey Flowey, check it out! I bought some food for you!” You pulled out the Temmie Flakes, shaking them to get his attention.

You couldn’t hide your disappointment when he immediately showed a look of disgust.

“What, are they not any good?” You looked down at the box again. “Well I got some other stuff too-”

“No way!” He shook his head. Your frown deepened. This stuff wasn’t cheap, your bank account reminded you.

“But…”

“Look, I get the gesture.” He ‘shrugged’ his little leaves. “But when you eat the same food everyday in the Underground, it gets kind of...stale. You can eat it, though.”

Of course! How could you have been so insensitive? Why _would_ he want to eat food he was stuck eating for so long, instead of trying out new food from the surface? You mentally banged your head against the wall. It was so obvious now that he’d pointed it out, you felt kind of dumb for not asking him beforehand.

“Right. Sorry.”

In the end, you made him some regular eggs and toast while you decided to try out all this monster food you’d bought.

It went much worse than you expected.

First off, as soon as you “poured” the Temmie Flakes, you realized...it was just paper. Colored paper. Did monsters eat paper? Did this have any nutritional value? Was this even _magic_?

You grabbed a “flake” and nibbled on it to make sure.

Yep, that was paper.

You could hear Flowey snickering with a mouth full of food behind you, and felt your face deadpan. He knew. He knew the whole time.

But you knew giving him a response would only make him laugh more, and you simply tossed the box and plastic bowl of the _paper_ into the garbage. What a waste of money.

“So good you can’t taste it, huh.” You grumbled the slogan out.

Then you decided to try the Spider Cider. This time, you turned to Flowey, holding the jug up wordlessly.

His grin was the embodiment of innocence. That is, if you didn’t know any better.

You narrowed your eyes at him and poured a bit into a glass, staring at the concoction. Well, it _looked_ normal. But you couldn’t help but be skeptical.

Well, you’d come this far. Down the hatch!

At first, nothing was wrong. It sort of had an earthy taste to it, mixed with...foamy chicken broth? It wasn’t exactly what you expected cider to taste like, but...wait a second.

You glanced at the slogan printed on the jug again. _‘Made by spiders, for spiders, of spiders!’_ Temmie Flakes’s slogan made sense when you knew what it was, so, did that mean...

“Is…” You could hear Flowey holding in his amusement. “Is this actually made of spiders?”

He howled in laughter, and you immediately felt like hurling the contents of what you just drank into the sink, covering your mouth as it begun to water in anticipation of the vomit.

“Shut up, or I’ll throw up on _you!_ ” You threatened weakly as he continued to laugh.

Eventually, your stomach calmed down, and joining the Temmie Flakes in the garbage was the Spider Cider.

You picked up the Cinnamon Bunny and stared at it apprehensively. Should you just throw this away now...?

“Okay okay, that one is okay.” Flowey sniffled, wiping away tears from his eyes from laughing too hard. You sat next to him at the table and opened up the wrapping, shooting him a look.

It actually smelled great! Like a regular cinnamon bun. And when you took a bite, it tasted like one too. Your shoulders dropped in relief, and Flowey laughed again as he stuffed his face with toast.

“Be careful Flowey, one of these days I’ll get you back.” You said that, but, you couldn’t help but giggle a little too, once the taste of spider had left your tongue. It _was_ kind of funny. Something one of your friends might have pulled back when you were younger.

“Do monsters actually eat spiders?” You asked him absentmindedly as you took another bite into the bun. You’d heard of people eating spiders in other countries and whatnot, so you guessed it wasn’t THAT weird.

“Do humans actually drink goat milk?” He sent you an accusatory glare. You weren’t sure how that was relevant to the conversation, but shrugged anyway. Maybe goats were super gross to monsters or something.

“Touché, I suppose?”

The rest of the morning was spent talking about different types of foods that monsters and humans ate, some reactions mixed with disgust, and others, intrigue.

 

* * *

 

“Hey punk!! You made it!” Undyne greeted you at the door of the bowling alley in some dingy part of town. There were nicer ones, but you supposed this one was probably cheap and close to the megacomplex. How would monsters know which places were seedy and dangerous?

“Yeah, I really had to go through the _gutter_ to get here.” You joked, grinning at her.

“Gutter?” She tilted her head. Welp, you supposed if she didn’t know how to bowl, she wouldn’t know the terminology…

“N-nevermind, haha. Let’s get inside.”

The place was exactly what you’d expected to look like. Faded carpeting with strange purple patterns from decades ago, worn out yellow walls from years of indoor smoking, old timers and gangsters alike in the alleyways, and the atmosphere heavy with unclean air: a cocktail of old smoke, greasy food, and people’s feet.

Well, you thought, it wouldn’t be bowling if it wasn’t this disgusting. You at least hoped the shoes were kept clean.

Undyne led you to the farthest right lanes where a couple of others waited, which caught you off guard at first. Somehow, you’d figured it was just going to be you and her, which you had wrestled with enough the night before. At the thought of playing with others, you felt yourself sort of stiffen up.

“Okay! (Y/n), this is my girlfriend, Alphys! Alphys, this is the human I told you about, the one I met at the store!”

She pointed to a much smaller monster who was hunched over and while she had yellow scales, her face was a bright orange, slightly covered by her round glasses. You didn’t want to compare her to an animal (that was pretty rude) but she truly reminded you of some kind of lizard or dinosaur. She was wearing a typical bowling outfit, fit for a team, and gave you a shy toothy smile, though her teeth were not as sharp as Undyne’s.

“H-h-hello! N-nice to meet you..” She pushed her fingers together in nervousness.

“Nice to meet you, Alphys.” Giving a curt nod, you couldn’t help but think how different Undyne and Alphys were from each other in terms of personality. Well, opposites attract, right?

You turned next to the other person who sat in the chair in front of the lane’s console. Surprisingly, it wasn’t a monster, but instead, a human child, somewhere between eight or ten, you guessed. They wore a purple and blue striped shirt with denim shorts, their skin was tanned, and they seemed to wear an emotionless expression on their face, until they met your eyes and a small smile appeared on their face, which you returned.

“This is Frisk!”

The two of you gave the other a small wave at nearly the same time, and Alphys spoke up.

“F-frisk is the one who saved us from the Underground!”

“Oh!” You looked back towards the kid. That’s right, you’d heard something about a human being the one who broke the barrier, and how young they were. “Nice to meet you!”

Frisk simply gave you a small nod before turning back to the scoreboard and beginning to add the player names.

“The other two aren’t here yet. I w-wonder if they’re l-lost?” Alphys muttered, and almost immediately Undyne shrugged.

“I’ll call them!”

Even more people? You quickly wondered if they were going to be more humans, or more monsters. Of course, the thought made you feel a bit more nervous.

“Well, I’m going to grab a drink from the bar. Does anyone want anything?” You asked. One surefire way of making you relax yourself before the game started was to have some alcohol!

“No way! I need to be in top form!” Undyne was pretty serious about it. You were sure that if anything, this was going to be more entertaining to watch than any regular bowling game.

“O-oh, thanks, b-but I already have one!” Alphys looked over at the table where you saw what looked to be some sort of pink frozen drink. Or was that ice cream?

You gave another nod and turned to go to the bar when you felt a tug on your sleeve. When you looked back, you saw Frisk looking up at you with an expectant expression on their face.

You smiled skeptically.

“Are you asking me for a drink?”

They nodded, and you laughed. Frisk was rather cheeky, huh?

“Alright, a soda for you then.”

You could feel the pout on your back as you walked away, and walked up to the nearly empty bar. As you ordered, your eyes fell upon the TV screens nearby. One of them was playing a sport channel, which was unsurprisingly showing a competitive bowling tournament. The other was playing the news, though no sound was coming out of it. It looked like some kind of riot, though you weren’t sure where.

But before you could watch the newsfeed and figure it out, your drinks arrived and you happily took a big sip of yours, feeling it rush down to your stomach, and letting out a satisfied sigh. You tried not to drink too often regardless, but this time around it had been awhile.

Before you even arrived back at the alleyway, you spotted two familiar faces.

“Papyrus?” You called out his name and he glanced behind him before whipping around fully. Next to him, you saw his older brother, Sans, stop and turn around as well. Both of them seemed surprised, although Sans seemed a bit more shocked than his brother. The look didn’t last for very long as he relaxed his face into a small grin, something you figured was his natural facial expression or something.

“MANAGER (Y/N)! WHAT A COINCIDENCE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?”

“I’m here to bowl with Undyne and her friends.” You replied honestly. And even before Papyrus answered, you had already come to the conclusion that the brothers were _probably_ the other “two” they were talking about. They _were_ the only monsters in this bowling alley, after all.

“NYEH HEH! HOW EXCITING! WE HAPPEN TO BE THOSE FRIENDS!”

“HEY BONEHEADS! OVER HERE!” Undyne shouted at the three of you, beckoning you back over to their lanes.

“So you guys know each other, huh? NICE!” She continued as soon as you were close enough.

“YES! MANAGER (Y/N) IS ACTUALLY MY...WELL, MANAGER!”

“Ah, Papyrus, you don’t have to call me manager outside of work. We’re friends!” Well, he didn’t have to call you manager IN work either, but you’d kind of become endeared to it. Outside of work, though, it was a bit embarrassing.

“VERY WELL, (Y/N)!” Papyrus trotted over to Frisk afterward, chatting excitedly with them.

You looked towards Sans, and the two of you made eye contact. It was…

Extremely awkward. Neither of you could continue the eye contact. This was exactly the sort of awkwardness that had put you off coming here to hang out in the first place, but now it was too late to back out.

“Uh, hey Sans. How’re you?”

“yeah, doin’ good. you?”

“Mm, same.”

“cool, cool.”

“I guess we should...uh…”

“uh, yeah.”

After you cringed yourself into oblivion, the two of you made your way over to the rest of the group, who had basically huddled around the screen.

“Okay, so i-it’s me, Undyne, a-and Frisk, and then Papyrus, S-sans and (Y/n)!” Alphys announced, everyone’s names popping up on the screen above, which you studied. It looked like even though you were split into teams, everyone was responsible for their own score. You figured they would probably tally up the total scores at the end.

“Let the games begin!” Undyne and Papyrus cheered loudly.

Unsurprisingly, everyone had their own way of bowling as you casually watched from the sidelines. You were last on the list, therefore last to go. Which was fine, since you were interested in what you were up against.

First to go was Undyne, who picked the heaviest, shiniest bowling ball possible and used as much force as she could to ram the bowling ball down the lane. It wasn’t a bad strategy, but it seemed that even as seedy as this place was, they kept their lanes well oiled, which meant that having a hook was inevitable, and also hard to control. So instead of barreling straight towards the pins, the hook veered her off lane both times and scoring just 4 pins.

“NGAAHH! I thought I had that one!”

You clapped excitedly with everyone else, even chuckling slightly at her reaction.

Papyrus seemed to take some pointers from Undyne because he tried to bowl in the same way that she did. Keyword, tried. He didn’t have as much power as she did, and therefore couldn’t control the heavy ball in the direction he wanted. In the end, the ball hooked right into the gutter twice.

“Good try!” You knew Papyrus was easily discouraged, and clapped for him anyway. “You’ll get it next time.” He sat next to you with his big, contagious smile.

“Have you guys bowled before?” You asked your teammates as Alphys took her time choosing which ball she wanted to use.

“WE HAVEN’T! BUT UNDYNE WATCHES A LOT OF SPORTS ON TV!” Papyrus happily announced, which filled a lot of gaps in your head. Except for one thing. She didn’t get your stellar bowling pun earlier?

Once Alphys had finally chosen a ball, she made her way up to very edge of the lane, which caused you to tilt your head. Usually people took a few steps to get their momentum going so they could control the ball better. But as you watched tentatively, you saw that she was going for the two-handed method. Very similar to how children played, the ball rolling slooooowly towards the pins, wobbling around on the lane because of the lack of power, and hitting 1 pin each time, grand totalling it out to 2 pins.

“YEAH!! GO ALPHYS!” Undyne cheered the loudest, putting a foot up on one of her chairs. You clapped as well, and glad that everyone was taking it in stride. Low numbers like these would normally put some people on edge.

“alright, here i go, please _spare_ my feelings.”

You couldn’t help but laugh a little, and even more so when Papyrus gave Sans an exasperated look. It seemed like you weren’t the only one who liked to pick on Papyrus with puns. Curiously, out of your peripheral vision, you caught Frisk staring at Sans intensely, as if they were waiting for him to do something amazing. You felt your own anticipation well up as you watched him.

But like the others, Sans didn’t do so hot either, and leisurely rolled right into the gutter, like his brother.

“Almost!” You stayed positive, clapping loudly for your teammate. Sans looked back and rubbed the back of his skull, looking away as he walked back to the group. He didn’t meet your eyes, but you didn’t think he was too down in the dumps about it.

In any case, everyone seemed to be having a good time and and you felt pretty good about it. Low numbers like these weren’t really getting competitive over-

“S-s-s-triiiiike!” The TV blared out loudly, with terrible CGI effects playing afterwards.

You looked up from your drink to see Frisk standing in the lane, the most subtle smirk on their face that you could see.

Well, that was unexpected. In a good way.

With everyone else, you clapped along, a surprised, but genuine smile on your face.

And so, finally, it was your turn.

You stood, brushing the back of your legs before picking the appropriate weighted ball for your size, and walked up to the lane.

The lane was oily, so you’d chosen a ball with some wear and tear for more grip. And because it was oily, you stood off from the center towards your dominant hand. You reminded yourself that your movement should be fluid and to make sure you didn’t let go of the ball too early. You didn’t want to rely on muscle memory since it had been far too long since you’d bowled, but your felt yourself sink into the movements as you took steps towards the lane.

3...2...1…

“S-s-s-triiiiike!”

You felt a wave of relief and a breath you had been holding, and heard the group clapping for you before you turned around with a shy smile on your face.

“YES! MANAGER (Y/N)! I MEAN, (Y/N)!” Papyrus was the most vocal, though Undyne was hollering just as loud.

“Nah, it was just luck!” A strike on your first throw? You didn’t think you’d done that before.

It was at this moment you realized that your group was the loudest one in the entire bowling alley, which was kind of embarrassing, and your face flushed as you made your way to your seat.

 

* * *

 

Though you started off with a strike and two spares, you realized you couldn’t keep up that kind of score forever. Not to mention, Frisk had _three_ strikes. How good was this kid at bowling?

In any case, if you wanted your team to win, you had to help your teammates out. Plus, you weren’t sure how bad Papyrus would feel if he got a zero-point game.

Papyrus and Sans hadn’t hit a single pin. And you didn’t even know how. But you didn’t want to handicap them with a gutter guard, either. That seemed almost more embarrassing.

“Here, Papyrus, use this one.” You’d picked up a lighter ball and handed it to him.

“OH? (Y/N), ARE YOU GOING TO TRAIN ME IN THE WAYS OF BOWLING?” Papyrus asked excitedly, and you shrugged.

“Maybe not train. Just to get the _ball rolling._ ” You grinned up at him.

“(Y/N)!!! EVEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, CAN’T HANDLE BOTH YOU AND MY BROTHER AT THE SAME TIME!” He complained.

“Come on. You’re smiling!” You teased. You were acting a lot more confidently with a couple of drinks in you, knowing that you probably wouldn’t have teased him in front of his friends otherwise.

“I AM AND I HATE IT!”

Eventually, the two of you made your way up to the brightly lit lane.

“Okay Papyrus, so, if you’re going to use a lot of power, you gotta make sure your movement is smooth. You want the ball to spin, so it’ll hit more pins that way.” You explained, mimicking the motion he needed to make with his hand. His arms were long, so you figured that he’d be able to make a smooth throw based just on that, but it if he got the ball to spin more, the momentum of the ball would strike a wider range of pins.

And lo and behold, by the second throw, Papyrus got eight pins with some simple advice. Well, you knew that it was usually practice that made the better bowler, since it was all instinct, but nonetheless, you were ecstatic.

“Yeah! Good job Papyrus!”

“NYEH HEH HEH! SOON I WILL NOT ONLY BE THE GREAT PAPYRUS, MASTER CHEF, BUT THE GREAT PAPYRUS, INCREDIBLE BOWLER!”

Before you could make your way over to your seat, Undyne met you halfway and started to chat.

“I totally KNEW that you’d be good at this! And uh, thanks for helping Papyrus out, too.” She thanked you, an unfitting shy expression on her face as she lowered her volume.

You shook your head.

“Of course! I want my team to win, don’t I?” You subtly challenged her with a devious grin, and she put an arm around your shoulder, squeezing tightly.

“You know what, you’re my kind of human!”

“Say Undyne, what got you into bowling, anyway?” You curiously asked. “Papyrus said you’d seen it on TV.”

Almost as if she was prepared for this answer, Undyne pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket. It was crumpled and heavily faded, as if it had been looked over and used all the time.

“With an advertisement like THIS, I couldn’t resist! At first I was put off since it was a HUMAN activity, but I gave in. Competition! Friends! This thing just screams PASSION!!”

You gingerly took it as she shoved it towards you, and suddenly, a wave of recognition came over your face.

“Hey, this is a flyer for my old bowling league!”

It was pretty cheesy looking but you were glad that whoever made the flyer included a picture of someone actually bowling. Not to mention, all the cool word art that made bowling seem way more intense than it was. It was a big blast from the past, and you remember finding it quite charming at the time.

But then a second wave of recognition came over you as you spotted the date in the upper corner. This wasn’t just a flyer, but a flyer you had _personally_ sent through the portal- er, barrier. With one of your letters.

Was Undyne…?

“Hey, where’d you get this, if I may ask?”

Undyne looked up in thought before answering with her usual loud gusto.

“I’m pretty sure I found it in one of the old sentry stations! In fact…” She scratched her chin. “I think it was-”

“hey, (y/n), is it cool if I get some tips from you too?” Before Undyne could finish her answer, Sans had grabbed your attention, his deep voice easily cutting through the conversation.

What struck you the most was that you could clearly see moisture on his skull. Could skeletons sweat? Wait, you’d seen Papyrus sweat before, so maybe that was a yes? Were you sweaty? Was it hot in here? Bowling was a bit of an exercise, and the alcohol surely wasn’t helping.

“Sure, of course!”

You followed him over to the ball return. Papyrus was easy to pick for, since you had a good idea of how strong he was. And if Sans were a human, you’d just give him 10 percent of his body weight, but since he was a magic skeleton…

“What have you been picking so far?”

“this cool blue one.”

The weight was a reasonable nine pounds, but when you lifted it, you could feel that the weight distribution was too even, which would mean it would have less rotation to knock down the pins.

You picked up a similar-weighted ball, tested it, and handed it to him, which he turned over in his hands before walking over to the lane.

“So, the biggest issue I see is that you’re throwing it kind of underhanded, but you should be releasing the ball with your wrist moving upwards as you release. Plus, the ball should at least be level to your head when you swing it backwards.”

You supposed you were talking a bit too fast, because Sans stared back at you as if he hadn’t caught a single thing you’d said.

“Uh, here, lemme show you. May I?” You asked permission as you reached for his hand, and he gave you a nod.

“So, you’re throwing it like this…” You turned his hand where the entire weight of the ball rested on his hand, your other hand holding the side of the ball so it wouldn’t topple over.

It was kind of weird, his hand. They were warm, but they were just bones. You’d never really touched bones before, so this strange texture and temperature together...again, it was weird.

“If you do that, the ball is more likely to skid. So you let go from this angle, instead.” You finished, turning his hand with the familiar motion of releasing the ball, dipping his hand slightly.

He looked totally unsure as he stared down at his hand, and you figured that he was nervous about missing again.

“Don’t be nervous, I’m sure you can do it!”

When he was ready, you took a few steps back and quietly watched, and by the second throw, he’d gotten six pins.

“See? Easy stuff!”

Sans looked back at you, his smile matching yours, and you high fived each other. But before the two of you could even _look_ in the direction of your seats, Undyne had run up and put another arm on your shoulder, forcefully dragging you to her team’s lane.

“Now listen! You gotta help out me and Alphys, too!”

“But you’re not on my tea-”

“No excuses!”

“Ah! Papyrus! Sans! Help!”

“UNDYNE! YOU CAN’T JUST STEAL OUR STAR PLAYER AND COACH (Y/N)!”

“yeah, you should start coaching, it seems right up your _alley_.”

“SANS!”

“S-s-s-triiiiike!”

“Y-yeah! G-go Frisk!”

 

* * *

 

It was nearing the end of the game, and the six of you all decided to take a quick break before reaching the grand finale. Frisk and Undyne had gone to the court to grab some food, Alphys had gone to the bathroom, Papyrus held the fort, and you and Sans had gone to the bar to refresh your drinks. He was drinking some kind of neat liquor, but always chased it down with...ketchup.

Monsters never ceased to surprise you.

Things were still awkward between you and Sans although you did feel that things were getting steadily better. Plus, you were pretty much feeling tipsy at this point.

After you ordered, the two of you sat at the bar stools, were you absentmindedly watched some the television screens.

“so, how did you meet undyne?” You were surprised to hear Sans initiate a conversation and looked back at him, though he wasn’t looking at you.

“I was at a grocery store, she threw a bunch of spaghetti in my basket and then demanded I go bowl with her.” You answered, in your most serious voice.

After a moment of pause, the two of you chuckled lightheartedly.

It was odd, hearing him laugh with you. Maybe because you didn’t think that you’d ever hear it, considering your first impression of him. You were beginning to think that maybe you judged too quickly and that maybe he was just shy. After all, you _were_ comparing him to Papyrus, who was as outgoing as possible.

When the laughter died down, it returned to silence, but you didn’t look away from him. His large grin dimmed into a subtle smile as he stared down at his hands. You could feel the familiar warm buzz on your cheeks and ears from having a bit too much to drink, but it felt nice.

He looked up at you again, making eye contact. You realized you were staring at him and glanced away, towards the bartender, until he spoke up again.

“you’re pretty good at bowling, huh?”

You’d gotten your fair share of strikes and spares, but as the game continued, your fatigue showed and you weren’t doing _as_ well as you were at the beginning of the game.

“I’m alright. Frisk is on a whole different level though. Are they good at everything the do, or just bowling and freeing monsters?” You looked towards him again with a smile and found that he was staring right at you, just as you had been a few moments ago, but he didn’t immediately look away, and there was a pause before he finally answered.

“yeah, they’re a pretty amazing kid.” Sans shrugged and grabbed a peanut from the tray, fiddling with it between his bony fingers.

“Man, makes my childhood seem way worse in comparison. I was such a punk kid.” You finally looked away and held your head in your hand, elbow on the bar of the table as you stared at the lights on the far side of the room. When he didn’t reply, you continued, feeling a bit nostalgic.

“One time I snuck out and by the time I got back, the police were at my house because my parents couldn’t find me.” You chuckled at the memory. There was a lull in the conversation before Sans spoke up again.

“what’d you sneak out for?”

You laughed again, although this time it was more out of embarrassment.

“Well, I wanted to watch the sunrise with...an old friend.” You realized how silly that sounded. It might have been sentimental for you, but you realized that for Sans, it was the worst story you’d ever told! “I know, super lame. Sorry, that was a terrible story.”

He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but before he could, your drinks had arrived and no sooner than they did, you both could hear incoherent shouting from both Papyrus and Undyne calling you back to the lanes.

 

* * *

 

“That’s the game!” Undyne shouted emphatically.

In the end, though the score had tried to even out, Frisk’s near perfect score was too much of a beast to beat. But everyone else’s score had improved dramatically, and everyone was generally feeling better about themselves. You felt sort of proud and happy that you were able to help them, even if it was only a little bit of pep talk and general strategies.

As the group packed up ready to leave, Papyrus made his way over to you.

“MANAG-...(Y/N), DO YOU WORK TOMORROW?” He asked enthusiastically.

You nodded, finishing off the last of your drink.

“Yeah, and you do too, right?”

“CORRECT!” He paused, his face beginning to look concerned. “ARE YOU...ARE you able to get home safely?” His voice dropped a bit halfway through, and you thought it was sweet that he was looking out for you again.

“Don’t worry about me, Papyrus, I’ve already ordered a cab.” He seemed to relax at your answer and switched back to his everyday personality of endless energy. You knew how the city could be at night and when you had a chance, called up a ride from one of the many apps that provided them.

As you walked out with them, everyone began to say their goodbyes.

“OKAY (Y/N), I SHALL SEE YOU AT WORK TOMORROW!” Papyrus cheerily announced. Frisk followed him towards his car, looking back at you to give you a peace sign. You guessed that was his way of leaving and returned it, an awkward smile on your face.

“I-it was very nice to meet you, (Y/n)!” Alphys strode up with Undyne. Her shy stutter had steadily improved throughout the night, getting used to your presence.

“We should totally get together again soon! Next time I can teach YOU! About fighting!” Undyne grinned, and you laughed nervously. Fighting? Like, karate or something?

“I look forward to it, then!” You gave a small thumbs up before the two of them walked away, in the direction of the megacomplex. You briefly wondered if they lived together, or if one was walking the other one home.

Finally, Sans was...wait, where was Sans?

You looked in many directions but couldn’t spot him anywhere. Did he leave early? Wouldn’t he be going with Papyrus? Maybe he had something to do.

Contemplating this, you sat on a nearby bench, trying to clear up your foggy mind as you waited for your ride, watching the others disappear from sight, listening to the muffled sounds of the bowling alley from the doors.

In the beginning, you hadn’t been so sure of how you were going to feel, hanging out with mostly strangers who were mostly monsters, to boot. After all, you’d previously contested that they were a bit of trouble.

But you’d had so much fun! Undyne’s boundless competitiveness and enthusiasm, Alphys and her rather cute bashfulness, Frisk and their saucy nature (and amazing bowling game!), Papyrus and, well, it was Papyrus. He was always fun to be around. Sans and...well, you still weren’t sure how to feel about Sans, but it was getting more positive! He had some good jokes up his sleeve.

They all sort of made you feel like a kid again.

A smile appeared on your face as you rested it against the back of the bench, looking up at the starless sky.

Man, if you had known how much fun monsters were going to be around, then maybe in your last letter you should have-...

Your smile faded, and you sat up straight, looking down at the ground questioningly.

The bowling flyer.

Normally, you weren’t one to make an impulsive decision, but you’d already pulled out your phone and pulled up Undyne’s name, hitting the “call” button.

_Ring ring ring._

_Ring ring ring._

_Click!_

“(Y/n)? What’s going on?” She sounded concerned, which was understandable. You were calling mere minutes after you had said your goodbyes.

“Hey, uh, sorry, I just realized I never got your answer.”

“Answer?”

“Yeah, about that flyer? Where did you say your found it?”

“Oh, in one of the sentry stations! I don’t remember whose it was, though. Sorry!”

You softly sighed away from the receiver, hoping she didn’t hear your disappointment.

“Alright, sorry for bothering you. I just really had to know.”

“It’s all cool! Let me know if you need anything else!”

_Click!_

You put your phone away, and wrung your hands together. Your mind raced.

Someone had been getting your letters. Someone was reading them. This was proof. They would have had to open the letter, right? Open it to have pulled the flyer out. And if they didn’t throw it away, then…

You laughed sadly as you felt hot tears start to sting at your eyes, and a hard lump settling in your throat. All those years of wondering, only to be verified by some silly bowling poster?

Memories surfaced of the things you wrote, the countless days you’d spent at the top of that mountain. But now all you could imagine was someone on the other side of that barrier, reading your letters.

Your teeth clenched, the tears spilling over onto your cheeks.

You’d practically told them in your last letter than you didn’t want them to find you. That you didn’t want to connect with anyone. That you were scared. What were you thinking?

No, you reminded yourself. Your feelings were valid at the time. How could you have possibly known? For years, no, maybe ever since the beginning, you had thought your letters were going nowhere. To no one. It was basically a diary. Something to do in your free time that turned into a ritual. But instead, they’d gone to a race that was suffering, Trapped for centuries below the earth, yearning for a way out. You had been basically flaunting your happiness in front of them. _Your freedom_.

That’s why you wrote the apology letter in the first place. Had you been a monster, you figured, you surely would have been angry at the letter writer.

And maybe they still were, whoever had read your letters. But today had shown you that monsters held little ill will towards humans now for trapping them. Maybe they weren’t mad, then?

Wiping away your tears with your hand and a small sniffle later, you stopped crying.

Maybe the letter was still there. Maybe they hadn’t read it yet. Maybe you could grab it before them and replace it with a different letter? You didn’t know how you were going to get back to the Underground with such tight security, but you were going to try.

Your phone started to ring, startling you out of your inner monologue, and you pulled your phone out of your pocket, glancing at the caller ID. You wondered if Undyne had remembered who it was? But no, a different name flashed on your screen. It was Flowey, though in your phone you had casually named him “jerkface” with a small emoji heart next to it. Just seeing his nickname made you feel a bit better, so you picked up, glancing down the street to see if your ride was nearby.

“Hello?”

“(Y/n), where the h-...wait, you sound weird.”

“Weird? Haha, no, I’m fine.”

“Have you been crying?”

“N-no! I just...stubbed my toe.”

“You’re terrible at lying, you know that?”

“I’m not lying! I really did hit my foot.”

“...whatever. Where are you? I’m starving!”

“Is that what you called me for?”

“Of course it is! Why else would I bother using this piece of junk?”

“I dunno, maybe you could sense my feelings?”

“I don’t have any feelings. How am I supposed to sense yours?”

“That explains a lot.”

“Shut up!”

“No, you shut up!”

By this point, you were laughing, and even though Flowey wasn’t, you could hear his reluctant smile from the other side of the phone. Or was he amused by it? You couldn’t tell, but it didn’t really bother you either way. Even if he wasn’t gentle about it, Flowey seemed to cheer you up in weird ways.

“Alright alright, what do you want? I’ll stop by Gal’s.”  


 

 

> _June 11, 2011_
> 
> _So I went to my first ~meeting~ today at the bowling league I signed up for. They weren’t too happy that someone who had never bowled before joined their league. Said it would “bring down their numbers”. Well, who cares what they think!? I’ll show them! I’ll be the best bowler on that dumb team! Even though...bowling is a lot harder than I thought. I guess I shouldn’t have made fun of it before._
> 
> _But hey! Get this: my dad wanted me to do bowling because Sam is the coach! (Sam is that guy who rents out our room, the one I snooped on, remember?) He’s nice, unlike the rest of the team. He says I have a lot of potential, and all it takes is some grooming! So I’m feeling pretty confident that I’ll eventually show the team what’s up!_
> 
> _Hmm. Maybe I’m getting a little overexcited. I guess I have a bit of a competitive bone somewhere in me!_
> 
> _So you gotta cheer for me, okay? When I’m good, I’ll know you did~! (But I mean, I won’t blame you if I’m bad!)_
> 
> _[For some reason, there is a sticker at the end of the letter that reads, ‘you’re a star!’]_
> 
> _(y/n)_


	7. Through An Anxious Skeleton's Eyesockets

 

> _June 20, 2011_
> 
> _Do you know what a solstice is? Like, the longest day of the year? I suppose if you live on another planet like I suspect, you probably have a sun, right? Or maybe even more than one, considering the movies I’ve seen. If you do, would that mean you wouldn’t have a solstice? How do you tell which sun is the ‘main’ sun?_
> 
> _Hmm. A question for the ages. I wish you could tell me!_
> 
> _Anyways, the longest day of the year_ ~~ _consqu_~~ ~~_consequentially_~~ _consequently means the earliest that the sun rises, granted weather permits. Which I think it will, AND it’s tomorrow morning!_
> 
> _I was thinking I could come up here and watch it. You could watch it too...I think? (If objects and rain go through the portal, does sunlight, too?) Sunrise is supposed to happen at like 5:30 or so. (You still have that watch I gave you, right?)_
> 
> _You know, they say magical things are supposed to happen on solstices! “The power of the sun” or so to speak. I know it’s just a big ol’ flaming furnace, but there’s gotta be something to it, right? Besides, I believe in you, don’t I? Why not believe in something I can see right in front of my face?_
> 
> _At least, I really want to believe. Does that make me childish?_
> 
>  
> 
> _(y/n)_

 

Though he normally bowed out of activities like these, (or at least made himself scarce,) Sans found himself more interested than normal because of one particular person. He wasn’t really sure how Undyne got into it, but he hadn’t thought to question it until he heard someone call Papyrus from behind as they walked into the alley.

He couldn’t hide his surprise when he turned around and it was you.

He relaxed his face into his normal smile so you wouldn’t be suspicious, but his smile was a nervous one. He wouldn’t have come if he knew that you were going to be here, not after his blunderous first meeting with you.

What was he supposed to say at the time? ‘hey, it’s me, your pen pal you said not to contact?’ Of course, he knew what the right answer was: act like a normal monster and befriend you with no strings attached. No need to bring up the past. But no, he froze, and completely brushed you off. Seeing your frown was _not_ the face he envisioned when he imagined first meeting you.

And now you were here. Well, it wasn’t all bad. At the very least he could try to avoid you for the night to make sure nothing got worse-

Uh oh. You made eye contact.

“Uh, hey Sans. How’re you?”

“yeah, doin’ good. you?”

“Mm, same.”

“cool, cool.”

“I guess we should...uh…”

“uh, yeah.”

...

What the fuck was that.

You walked away first and it was all Sans could do not to pinch the bridge of his nose. C’mon, he told himself. He wasn’t normally _that_ bad, was he? He felt every time he was going to talk to you, things would get worse and worse.

And then he was put onto a team with you, which you casually sat next to him, and flashed your team a thumbs up with a smile, like that whole debacle never even happened.

Maybe he was overthinking things?

When the game started, he couldn’t help but look your way constantly. You were focused on everyone else, so you never noticed his staring.

Seeing your facial expression change in real time as you watched the other bowlers, thoughts flying through your head...it was way better than any picture or video he had.

The way your lips curled into a smile as you clapped along. The way your eyebrows crinkled in worry or confusion. The way your eyes lit up when the group would cheer. The way you adjusted your sitting posture on the uncomfortable chairs with a tight frown of annoyance. The way you sighed after every sip of your drink.

The way his SOUL fluttered when you laughed.

“Nah, it was just luck!” He could see your cheeks flushing as you walked back over after your first throw.

Luck, huh?

Yeah, he was starting to feel a little lucky, too.

 

* * *

 

He’d been mindfully watching you as you helped Papyrus out with his bowling. The two of you interacted so seamlessly with each other, as if you’d been friends for a very long time. Of course, he knew that was just how Papyrus was. Any friend was a close one for him. That’s what made his brother so great.

His eyes glided towards Undyne as she made a beeline for you, thanking you for helping out Papyrus.

“Say, Undyne, what got you into bowling, anyway?”

Since he was curious, too, Sans paid closer attention. He watched as Undyne pulled out something from her back pocket, something that both you and he recognized.

He’d always wondered where that thing had whisked off to. He remembered searching for it for days before giving up. He felt bad, but he didn’t ever think losing it would ever have become a problem.

“Hey, this is a flyer for my old bowling league!”

At first, you simply recognized it as something from your past. Sans grew nervous. As long as you didn’t realize it was the same flyer you’d sent, it’d be fine, right?

But then a look of concern covered your face, and looked up at Undyne with an expression he hadn’t seen you wear so far. Hope?

“Hey, where’d you get this, if I may ask?”

Shit.

He had to do something.

“I’m pretty sure I found it in one of the old sentry stations! In fact...”

He stood, making his way over as quickly as he could without looking desperate.

“I think it was-”

“hey, (y/n), is it cool if I get some tips from you too?” It was the first thing that popped into his head.

You jumped slightly at the intrusion, but you agreed with a smile. He was glad you were distracted enough that you didn’t finish your conversation with Undyne, and instead immediately focused on him.

Wait.

Now you were focused on him.

You methodically turned the ball he handed you over in your hands. He imagined your hands writing letters, hurriedly jotting down the day’s events, or slowly drawing a picture of something from the surface. Of course, it wasn’t the first time that he’d imagined it, but the imagery was much more vivid now that he had actually _seen_ you.

Almost suddenly, he realized that he’d followed you to the lane and you were talking, but he hadn’t caught a single thing that you had said. You were staring at him, your head tilted to the side a bit. He couldn’t even bring himself to respond, staring back at you.

Really, he could stare at you all day.

“May I?”

He nodded, though he wasn’t sure what you were asking permission for-

Oh.

You were touching him. You were holding onto his hand.

“So, you’re throwing it like this…” As you said this, you turned the ball to the side and paused, your hand pressed against his own.

Sans chided himself. He wasn’t a babybone anymore, so why did he get so riled up when you touched him? When he thought that, he looked down at his hand. He did all he could not to blush in response, forcing the magic rush to his head back from where it came.

“Don’t be nervous, I’m sure you can do it!” You cheered him on. You must have thought that he was anxious about hitting any pins. It was cute.

When he’d finally hit his six pins, you grinned from ear to ear, and he couldn’t help but smile back. You were so _genuine._ Everything about you was readable. When you were nervous, when you were happy. You didn’t try to hide your emotions from anyone. It was just like when you wrote letters, except your feelings were written on your face, not on paper.

Not like him.

He kept his true feelings to his chest.

You were bombarded by Undyne, and the group got significantly louder, especially with Undyne and Papyrus getting worked up. After some prodding, you promised to help them, but first, you wanted to top your drink off.

As he watched you walk away, Undyne approached, a cross look on her face mixed with curiosity and a subtle sneer. She plopped down in the seat next to him, an arm rested on the back of the chair.

“Wanna tell me what that was about?”

“dunno what you’re talkin’ about.”

“Yeah you do! Got some secrets up your sleeve, Sans? I remember that bowling flyer being from YOUR sentry station.” Though she was loud, Undyne had managed to keep her voice down so the other group members didn’t hear. Then again, Sans was sure that when he told Undyne, she would tell Alphys, who would probably let it slip to Mettaton, who would definitely put it on TV. So he had no other choice.

“...i need to ask you a favor.”

“HMM? YOU, asking ME for a favor? Interesting.” Her sneer turned into a devious grin.

Sans sighed.

“don’t tell (y/n) where you found it. it’s a long story. i’ll tell you at the right time.”

Undyne thought about it for a moment, and then stood, her face becoming serious.

“Fine. But listen here bone-for-brains, I like (Y/n). If this ends up hurting them in some way…”

Of course, the last thing that he wanted to do was to hurt you. But there was no logical way to explain it to Undyne before you got back from the bar, so he put on his best grin and closed one of his eye sockets.

“i don’t have the _guts_.”

 

* * *

 

“Well, I’m gonna get a new drink. Looks like you need one too, want to come with?” You’d asked him as everyone decided to separate for a short break.

He’d picked up some human alcohol halfway through, just to sort out his nerves. Though you might have not realized it, the more that you drank, the more you looked towards him when you were clapping along or laughing at someone’s jokes. But the stuff was pretty foul, and he wondered why humans even bothered sometimes, and he had to follow it with ketchup just to get the taste out of his mouth.

“sure.”

He looked down at the bar, which somehow stared back up at him. You were quiet, and although he enjoyed simply being next to you, he didn’t think that you felt the same way towards him.

“so, how did you meet undyne?” Truth be told, he questioned the probability that all of this fell into place so neatly.

“I was at a grocery store, she threw a bunch of spaghetti in my basket and then demanded I go bowl with her.”

Well, that was pretty much exactly how Sans figured Undyne WOULD make new friends, and he felt himself laughing with you at the absurdity of it all.

He looked back down at his hands, wondering if he should bring up a new topic. To be honest, he wasn’t very good at making conversation. Partially because he wanted to make sure he didn’t say anything that would give you the impression that he knew more than he let on. If he did, well, that could only end in disaster.

When he looked up to talk, however, he met your eyes, and he realized that you’d been staring at him the entire time, with half-lidded eyes, a lazy smile, and a small flush on your cheeks. The look, unfortunately, didn’t last very long as you became aware and looked away, seemingly embarrassed that you’d been staring.

He was glad you turned away, because he felt his cheekbones flush with magic.

“you’re pretty good at bowling, huh?”

Sans had mentally reprimanded himself for the millionth time. What kind of conversation was that?

“I’m alright. Frisk is on a whole different level though. Are they good at everything the do, or just bowling and freeing monsters?”

The two of you made eye contact again, staring indiscriminately for a few moments.

This time, however, he wasn’t pausing because he was captivated by you.

No, he was thinking about Frisk. “Amazing” wasn’t exactly the word he would use to describe the kid. His feelings were...conflicted. He was happy about the way things had turned out in the end, but...there was no way to describe everything that had happened _before_. Even if there was, Sans was sure he didn’t want to involve you in that.

“yeah, they’re a pretty amazing kid.” In the end, all he could do was agree with you.

“Man, makes my childhood seem way worse in comparison. I was such a punk kid.”

He wouldn’t have thought of you that way, but then again, he was biased.

“One time I snuck out and by the time I got back, the police were at my house because my parents couldn’t find me.”

He was pretty sure he knew the night that you were talking about, but obviously you didn’t know that he knew that.

“what’d you sneak out for?”

“Well, I wanted to watch the sunrise with…” He held his breath. “...an old friend.”

You tilted your head and eyes downward, somewhat saddened by the thought. Even though you were sad, he was sort of happy that you referred to him that way. That you would share memories of it with someone, even if it was pretty vague.

He didn’t have to do much digging in his own memory. He remembered that night almost more than any other night. It was the first time that he’d heard your voice.

 

* * *

 

Sans glanced at the time as he stepped closer to the barrier, taking a relaxed seat next to the endless pulsing wall, resting his skull against it, and closing his eye sockets. He’d gotten used to the strange, magical sensation that came off of it. He’d always figured the feeling was foreign to him because it was human magic, not monster magic.

Though everything was allowed _in_ through the barrier, it still denied him, and the rest of the monsters, the view of the outside world. It was the one thing that wasn’t allowed through.

So no, he couldn’t watch the sunrise with you like you wanted, but, he was going to sit here anyway. Maybe you’d describe it to him in a letter. What was important was that he _knew_ you were on the other side, watching it for him.

A few minutes passed, and his mind wandered as he thought of the day’s failed experiment, working out in his mind what had gone wrong and what he needed to change next time. There were so many variables to work with, and endless combinations of different kinds of-

Pausing, he opened his eyes a little.

He heard the familiar sound of dirt crunching. It was muffled, but close. He lifted his head and looked around, but there was no one here with him. In the hallway, there was only silence.

Was the sound coming from outside the barrier? He pressed his skull against the barrier.

He could hear sounds, though it wasn’t easy.

Dirt giving way under feet. The sound of a backpack unzipping. The sound of rummaging through paper and plastic.

“Ooh, yum.”

It was...you?

It was you.

It WAS YOU!

His initial instinct was to pound on the barrier, to try and get your attention. You were _so close_! Were you right next to the barrier? Maybe if he could hear you, then…

Sans stopped himself, his hands sliding down the barrier, and eventually dropping to his sides.

No, the barrier was law. Anything could get in, but nothing could get out. Why would you be able to hear him?

He didn’t give in to total resignation, though. After all, he’d never heard your voice before. Was it because you were so close to the barrier this time?

“Do you like cheese crackers?” You asked, immediately taking a bite into what he assumed was a cheese cracker and munched away.

He knew it was a one-sided conversation, but he played along anyway, to feel like he was really there with you.

“sure.”

“Well too bad, because this is... _nacho_ cheese!” Though you didn’t laugh, the amusement in your voice was obvious. You were having a good time.

He was glad.

“I’m pretty full, though. I guess you can have some.” You casually slid the the leftover bag of crackers through the barrier, right into his slippers.

He picked them up, crunching the plastic a bit before grabbing one and popping it into his mouth. You’d sent human food over before, but it was never the same thing twice.

Though you didn’t say anything for a while, he could hear you contentedly sigh every so often as (he assumed) you looked up at the stars.

He could begin to hear you start to hum, a melody he’d never heard before. He had a hard time deciding if it it was melancholy or hopeful, but he thought it was beautiful nonetheless.

After listening for a few minutes, he decided to interpret it as hope. If anything, he wanted to escape the barrier not only for his brother, but for you. Maybe that was selfish of him but...he wanted to see you. To meet you.

Wasn’t that why he was doing all this work?

After a long bout of silence, a small sliver of light began to appear near his feet, and he turned his hand over in it.

“must be sunrise.” He murmured to himself.

“Yep, that’s the sunrise!” You amusingly observed, as if answering him again.

He heard you stand and the (unfamiliar at the time) noise of bones popping. You must be leaving.

“See you next time, friend.” He heard your footsteps, and before they started to fade, a letter fell into his lap, gently swaying with what little breeze their was.

He smiled at the back of it, the drawing of the sunrise covering the entire side of the envelope.

 

* * *

 

When Sans finally walked out of the bowling alley, the rest of the group had disbanded, and you sat alone on a bench. He didn’t know if you were waiting for something so he figured he’d offer to take you home.

Before he could even lift his foot, you had snapped upright and pulled out your phone. Normally he didn’t like to eavesdrop, but he had an inkling of who you were calling and why.

Fortunately, Undyne pulled through with her favor and didn’t give him away.

He wanted to sigh, but he didn’t want to alert you, and prepared himself to take a shortcut home. It was probably best that he didn’t interfere.

That was, until he heard you start to cry.

Was it because of him? Was _he_ making you cry?

Various expressions of confusion and frustration appeared on his face. He didn’t understand. Didn’t you say you _didn’t_ want to meet? He wanted to abide by your wishes because he didn’t want to hurt you, but from where he was standing, it seemed that the opposite was true.

Did you want to know, or not?

And not only that, but did _he_ want to know? He could justify meeting you because he knew exactly what kind of person you were, and what kind of things you’d gone through. But you didn’t know anything about him. It was obvious you weren’t scared of him at first appearance, which had been his initial concern, but...what kind of monster were you expecting?

Maybe...someone with less baggage?

His SOUL ached, torn between his desire to reveal to you the truth in order to ease your pain and the debilitating anxiety that was taking over what little movement was possible from him.

He needed more time. He didn’t know what exactly he was waiting for, but he couldn’t do it now. Hell, he couldn’t even bring himself to take a step towards you now.

Everytime he wanted to forget, you pulled him back in. And when he needed to remember, you were gone.

So what exactly was he supposed to think or do?

With one last look, he quietly walked into the alleyway, taking himself home.

 

* * *

 

“‘m home.” Sans yawned a greeting as he walked through the door, the familiar smell of Papyrus’s cooking wafting from the kitchen.

“WELCOME BACK FROM WORK BROTHER!” Papyrus shouted. “UNDYNE AND I HAVE COLLABORATED TO MAKE A FEAST FOR THE FOUR OF US!”

“the four of us?”

“YES! FRISK IS HERE AS WELL, though I’m not sure where they went…” Papyrus seemed slightly concerned, but jubilantly went back to cooking with Undyne. Everyone (except for Toriel) knew Frisk could take care of themselves by now, so it wasn’t a surprise when they disappeared.

Shrugging it off, Sans walked up the stairs and towards his room.

Things were finally starting to return to normal for him, after two weeks of not seeing you. He was able to push it back into a box in his mind and finally forget about it. At least for now. Maybe once, or if, his relationship with you improved-

Wait, was his door open?

“uh, frisk?”

Now, his room was normally a mess, yes, but the one thing he DID keep filed away were your letters.

Which were now scattered all over his room.

Frisk had been reading them.

The kid looked up from reading a letter on the mattress and jumped up, though instead of being surprised, they had a look of annoyance on their face as they stomped over to him, their mouth curled into an uncharacteristic tight frown.

“uh, kid?”

Frisk pointed to the name at the bottom of the letter, tapping it rapidly. Your name.

“...coincidence?”

 

* * *

 

Another week passed, and Sans found himself binging television on the living room couch on a late Saturday afternoon. Normally around this time Paps would come home and start making dinner, but he said that he had plans and would probably be home late.

Popping a chisp in his mouth as he leaned back into the couch, he lazily browsed through the internet, a much different place in comparison to the UnderNet. A couple hundred thousand monsters in the Underground meant nothing to the billions of humans who were online every day.

Though he didn’t practice it much anymore, sometimes he found himself looking up the latest in scientific advancements. Even without knowledge of magic, the humans seemed to be always finding a way, in whatever it was they were doing. They were probably doing themselves a favor, when he thought about it. When magic and technology mixed, things always tended to get a little...strange.

Just as he began to start reading a paper, he heard a familiar voice right outside the front door. He didn’t look away from his phone--he’d already recognized it as Papyrus, though he was curious at why he was home on time.

“WELCOME! I HOPE OUR HOUSE IS PLEASING TO YOUR HUMAN EYES!”

“Well, I’m sure it’s cleaner than my apartment, considering how neat you are, Papyrus.”

At the sound of your voice, he shot up straight, crumbs of chisps falling off of his jacket.

“AH! SANS! GOOD! I’M GLAD I CAUGHT YOU DOING WHAT YOU ALWAYS DO! NOTHING!” Papyrus announced as the two of you walked inside, and Sans put on his best grin.

“wow, i think that’s the first time.”

You grinned at his joke before giving him a small wave.

“Hello again, Sans. How are you?”

Just as he was about to respond, Papyrus spoke up again. Maybe it was for the best. He didn’t want a repeat of the bowling alley, after all.

“ANYWAY, SANS! I NEED YOU TO DO A FAVOR FOR ME!” Papyrus seemed very matter-of-fact about the matter, which piqued Sans’ interest.

Your smile faded, and so did his.

“a favor?” Normally he could guess what kind of favor his brother would ask. Pick up your sock. Stop being so lazy. Don’t eat junk food all the time. But with you here, standing patiently, looking slightly worried…what was going on?

“YES! I PROMISED TO HELP (Y/N) EARLIER, BUT FRISK SUDDENLY CALLED AND NEEDS A BABYSITTER PRONTO! (Y/N) SAYS IT Is rather important, so…”

Normally anything associated with Frisk’s name either meant shenanigans or trouble, but Sans could see the guilt in his brother’s eyes, and a small smile crept on his face. Papyrus was so nice, he felt bad when he couldn’t help. Plus, you looked like you were in a bind, too.

“sure. what did you need?”

“Uhm…” You timidly looked down at the floor before back up at him. “This might sound weird, but...I need you to take me to Mount Ebott, to the Underground!”

  


 

 

 

> _June 21, 2011_
> 
> _It was slow, but the sunrise was amazing! I think people discount it way too much. Sure, sunsets are cool, but watching the sky filter from a deep plum color to a bright citrus orange is awesome to watch._
> 
> _And, well, it’s given me some time to think about things. I didn’t_ really _come up here to watch the sunrise, though it was a nice bonus._
> 
> _It’s nice to get away from things every once in awhile just to think._
> 
> _To be honest, there was a huge fight at my house last night. My parents kept arguing over things, though I’m not sure what instigated the initial argument. It was probably something about mom not listening or something, and dad getting all worked up about it. I tried to intervene, but...they told me I was just a teenager and that I didn’t understand. That my head was always in the clouds. Is that a bad thing? I guess with all this staring at the sunrise, I haven’t figured that out yet._
> 
> _People at school all want to act so grown up, but...if that life is anything like my parent’s, it sounds like it sucks ass._
> 
> _I better get going before my parents get up so they don’t ground me for sneaking out._
> 
> _(y/n)_

**Author's Note:**

> (y/n) = your name


End file.
